Cal discovers a secret ‘playroom’ in the basement, complete with video equipment, and it looks as though there’s a missing recording. As Cal investigates further, and more people start dying in suspicious circumstances, it’s clear that someone is targeting Promise Falls. But who – and how far will they go?

#3 THE TWENTY-THREE

The day begins like any other Saturday – a shower, coffee, breakfast. But suddenly, all hell breaks loose in the town of Promise Falls. People are dying in the street – the hospital and emergency services are overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Is it mass food poisoning, a virus, or something more sinister? Has someone, rather than something, caused this?

Detective Barry Duckworth is already investigating two murders and an explosion at the town’s drive-in. He starts to wonder if these crimes and the new attacks are connected to the mysterious incidents in Promise Falls. But who is sending these deadly messages, and how can they be stopped?

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Copyright

COPYRIGHT

AN ORION EBOOK

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Orion Books

Ebook first published in 2017 by Orion Books

Copyright © NJSB Entertainment Inc. 2017

The right of Linwood Barclay to be identified as the author

of this work has been asserted in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior

permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of

binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition,

including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All the characters in this book are fictitious,

and any resemblance to actual persons, living

or dead, is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book

is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978 1 4091 6397 8

The Orion Publishing Group Ltd

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London, EC4Y 0DZ

An Hachette UK company

Table of Contents

Dedication

Title Page

Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Six

Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Nine

Thirty

Thirty-One

Thirty-Two

Thirty-Three

Thirty-Four

Thirty-Five

Thirty-Six

Thirty-Seven

Thirty-Eight

Thirty-Nine

Forty

Forty-One

Forty-Two

Forty-Three

Forty-Four

Forty-Five

Forty-Six

Forty-Seven

Forty-Eight

Forty-Nine

Fifty

Fifty-One

Fifty-Two

Fifty-Three

Fifty-Four

Fifty-Five

Fifty-Six

Fifty-Seven

Fifty-Eight

Fifty-Nine

Sixty

Sixty-One

Sixty-Two

Sixty-Three

Sixty-Four

Sixty-Five

Copyright