NOW A NETFLIX SERIES! The bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix dramas Fool Me Once and The Stranger proves that the past never truly fades away in this shocking thriller. Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer but now finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case. Each is hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect.   When the terrible consequences of long-ago events threaten to ruin their quiet suburban lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. As Megan, Ray, and Broome are faced with the excitement of temptation and the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades—they will discover a hard truth: the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat. Praise for Stay Close “Funnier and darker than many Coben thrillers, and packs a lot of surprises.”— People (4 Stars) “When everything explodes, the payoff is glorious.  Stay Close  is a perfect example of a master at the top of his game.”—Associated Press “The story is intense, the characters are interesting, and the writing is magnificent.”—The Huffington Post “Coben again shows his acumen for delving into our most intimate fears as he moves his engrossing story from quiet domesticity to sheer terror.”— South Florida Sun-Sentinel “With Mr. Coben’s combination of thrills and intelligence, he leads readers into the ‘dark side’ of life and delivers his trademark style of exhilarating and captivating writing in a true novel of suspense.”— Suspense Magazine “Masterful...Coben writes with wit and irony, and his flair for exposing the frail balance point between order and chaos in our lives has never been stronger than in this suspenseful outing.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[A] tour-de-force...giv[es] the reader a steady steam of jolts and sinking feelings...Satisfying on every level.”— Booklist (starred review) Harlan Coben  is the #1  New York Times and international bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including  I Will Find You ,  The Match ,  Win ,  Fool Me Once ,  Stay Close , and  The Stranger , as well as the award-winning Myron Bolitar series. Coben has more than eighty million books in print in more than forty languages worldwide, and several of his novels have been made into Netflix series. The winner of Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, he lives in New Jersey. STAY CLOSE ALSO BY HARLAN COBEN Play Dead Miracle Cure Deal Breaker Drop Shot Fade Away Back Spin One False Move The Final Detail Darkest Fear Tell No One Gone for Good No Second Chance Just One Look The Innocent Promise Me The Woods Hold Tight Long Lost Caught Live Wire Shelter STAY CLOSE DUTTON PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN GROUP (USA) INC. 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.); Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England;Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd); Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd); Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi–110 017, India; Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd); Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Published by Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen. Copyright © 1982 Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP). Reprinted by permission. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. First printing, March 2012 1   3   5   7   9   10   8   6   4   2 Copyright © 2012 by Harlan Coben All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA has been applied for. ISBN: 978-1-101-56117-1 Printed in the United States of America Set in Sabon LT Std. Designed by Leonard Telesca PUBLISHER’S NOTE This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This one is for Aunt Diane and Uncle Norman Reiter and Aunt Ilene and Uncl