A community comes together when threatened by someone with a thirst for revenge in this stunningly intricate, tautly plotted novel of rich psychological suspense from the New York Times bestselling author of the Mary Russell mysteries. Career Day at Guadalupe Middle School: A day given to innocent hopes and youthful dreams. A day no one in attendance will ever forget. A year ago, Principal Linda McDonald arrived at Guadalupe determined to overturn the school’s reputation for truancy, gang violence, and neglect. One of her initiatives is Career Day—bringing together children, teachers, and community presenters in a celebration of the future. But there are some in attendance who reject McDonald’s bright vision. A principal with a secret. A husband with a murky past. A cop with too many questions. A kid under pressure to prove himself. A girl struggling to escape a mother’s history. A young basketball player with an affection for guns. Even the school janitor has a story he dare not reveal. But no one at the gathering anticipates the shocking turn of events that will transform a day of possibilities into an explosive confrontation. Tense, poignant, and brilliantly paced, Laurie R. King’s novel charts compelling characters on a collision course—a chain of interactions that locks together hidden lives, troubling secrets, and the bravest impulses of the human heart. Praise for Lockdown “A fine thriller, as timely as it is gripping.” — Booklist (starred review) “King delivers, providing both a drama-filled anatomy of the school and a chance for its community to show its best by the way it confronts the worst Career Day imaginable.” — Kirkus Reviews “ Lockdown [has] the tension of a ticking time bomb.” —San Jose Mercury News “Dramatic . . . harrowing.” —Santa Cruz Sentinel “King is a strong, purposeful writer with a keen eye for detail. . . . [This book earns] its page-turner status.” — The Stranger “Keeps readers guessing to the very end.” —Charleston Currents “A fine thriller, as timely as it is gripping.” — Booklist (starred review) “[Laurie R.] King delivers, providing both a drama-filled anatomy of the school and a chance for its community to show its best by the way it confronts the worst Career Day imaginable.” — Kirkus Reviews “ Lockdown [has] the tension of a ticking time bomb.” —San Jose Mercury News “Dramatic . . . harrowing.” —Santa Cruz Sentinel “King is a strong, purposeful writer with a keen eye for detail. . . . [This book earns] its page-turner status.” — The Stranger “Keeps readers guessing to the very end.” —Charleston Currents Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen Mary Russell mysteries, five contemporary novels featuring Kate Martinelli, the Stuyvesant & Grey novels Touchstone and The Bones of Paris, and the acclaimed A Darker Place, Folly, Califia’s Daughters (written under the pen name Leigh Richards), and Keeping Watch . She lives in Northern California. Chapter 1 12:13 a.m. Brendan Brendan dropped to one knee in the dim alley, watching for motion at the far end. He’d already been hit once. Plus that, he was low on ammo—but his pulse was racing so fast his finger wanted to jerk down on the trigger, spraying the filthy bricks and Dumpsters with his last bullets. (And that would be the end of everything.) The Enemy darted from left to right, bringing a compulsive twitch that wasted a couple of rounds, but Brendan forced his finger to pull back. The guy’d have to come out to fire, and when he did, crimson splatter would fill the— “Brendan? Brendan James Atcheson, if you’re still playing that goddamn game . . .” The alley vanished into black screen as Brendan leapt in the direction of bed. But as he moved, his foot brushed the basketball sitting on the floor. He nearly went back for it—the thing was rolling directly toward the door—but he couldn’t risk it, just dove under the covers and jerked them to his ear like a child. As if blankets could be armor against the approaching threat. He forced his face to go slack, struggled to control his breathing. When the light from the doorway spilled against his eyelids, his heart beat faster than when he’d been facing death in the alleyway. He waited: for Sir to step inside, lay his hand on the warm game console, spot the basketball in motion. For Sir to . . . 12:14 a.m. Thomas Tom closed his son’s door quietly. He knew perfectly well Brendan wasn’t asleep. He probably should have gone in and forced a confrontation, in spite of the hour. But if Tom had to deal with the boy’s attitude on top of everything else—well, even a reasonable man had his limits. And that “goddamn” he’d let slip just now . . . Only the desperate swore. Yes, a confrontation with Brendan was necessary—and soon: the boy was getting way too full of himself. Just not tonight. Tonight he simply needed Brendan to go the hell to sleep, so he