A TOWN'S TERRIBLE SECRET Two years ago, a woman was brutally murdered, her body burned until only ash and shattered bone remained. Police Sergeant Valerie Ryker solved that case, putting psychopath Dixon Hess in prison for life, and becoming the first female police chief of her tiny Wisconsin town. A COP'S UNFORGIVABLE MISTAKE Then the original murder victim turns up in a frozen lake, all in one piece and only recently dead, and Val must enter a race against time. In only forty-eight hours, Hess will be set free, and he wants payback. And Val, her town, and everyone she loves are at the top of his list. A KILLER'S NEXT VICTIM But surviving Hess's vengeance is only part of her dilemma. For there's another killer in Lake Loyal. One who may be closer to Val than she knows... Val will need all the help she can get, including a sexy firefighter, her dead sister's daughter, and a tough Chicago cop named Jack Daniels. Everyone has a breaking point, and Val has just reached hers. From bestselling romantic suspense author Ann Voss Peterson comes a page-turning thriller of police procedure, passion, and revenge. Make sure you're holding your Kindle tightly with both hands. "If you're a fan of Tess Gerritsen, James Patterson, or Kathy Reichs, don't even hesitate. Filled with nail-gnawing suspense, dark mystery, and even a dash of sexy romance, PUSHED TOO FAR qualifies for Thriller of the Year." - J.A. Konrath, author of SHAKEN "If you're a fan of Tess Gerritsen, James Patterson, or Kathy Reichs, don't even hesitate. Filled with nail-gnawing suspense, dark mystery, and even a dash of sexy romance, PUSHED TOO FAR qualifies for Thriller of the Year." - J.A. Konrath, author of SHAKEN "I finished Ann Voss Peterson's PUSHED TOO FAR in a machine-gun clatter of next-page clicks. It jumps out of the gate at full gallop and picks up speed from there. I couldn't go back to working on my own book till I'd finished hers." - F. Paul Wilson, New York Times Bestselling Author "This book is written by someone who understands the art and craft of thriller writing. It's got three-dimensional characters, a mystery with lots of twists and turns, an interesting setting, and the research always flows smoothly into the story. It's not just about murder and revenge, it's also about a woman police chief weighed down by problems in her job and in her personal life. And I didn't see the final twist coming! All in all-a great job by a writer to watch." - Rebecca York, New York Times Bestselling Author Dear Readers, Sometimes the imagination can't be neatly contained. When I first wrote PUSHED TOO FAR, I envisioned it as a standalone novel. But as I neared its completion, the stories of Val, Lund, and Val's niece clamored at the back of my mind and refused to fade away. These voices became more adamant when the book was published and reviews and fan mail poured in, a regular chorus asking for the continuation of Val's tale. Val and Lund popped up in the novel SPREE, part of the Codename: Chandler spy thriller series that I write with J.A. Konrath, but instead of silencing my desire to write more about them, it only served to turn up the volume. As a result, I've given up and given in. I'm now working on the second book in the Val Ryker series, CUT TOO DEEP, and plan to follow it with DEAD TOO SOON. I'm also having the time of my life writing them. So thanks to all the readers who have asked about the future of Val and Lund. Because of you, they will live through more tragedy, danger, fear, and passion, and I have a feeling they'll be better for it in the end. --Ann Ann Voss Peterson Introduction As a reader, there is nothing I love more than the chill of a cold, atmospheric thriller. It's why I've seen the film FARGO and read Scott B. Smith's classic A SIMPLE PLAN more times than I care to admit. It's the icy claustrophobia of the small-town Midwest in the dead of winter, that when channeled right, makes for something special--the best crime fiction in the world. This novel by Ann Voss Peterson, PUSHED TOO FAR, is that kind of special, and its heroine, Val Ryker, Chief of Police of tiny Lake Loyal, Wisconsin, is one for the ages. When the victim of a prior murder that rocked the village inexplicably turns up, the man incarcerated for her killing, an undisputed monster, is released from prison with a hell of a grudge, intent on holding Ryker and everything she loves to the fire. PUSHED TO FAR is not only a first-rate thriller, not only a police-procedural written with absolute authority by a writer who knows her stuff, but most of all, most importantly, it's a portrait of Police Chief Ryker, a woman of extraordinary courage who is pushed beyond her breaking point. Good thrillers put their characters through the wringer. Great ones rain down holy hell upon their heads--physically, emotionally, psychologically--and aren't satisfied until the reader is spent, exhilarated, terrified, and lavishly entertained. This is a great