The Whisper Man meets the paranoia of The Blair Witch Project in this terrifying suspense novel from “an exciting new voice in the field of chilling thrillers” (Alex North, New York Times bestselling author). That’s the one. That’s the girl who’s going to die. I didn’t believe in the Rule of Three. Not at first. It was just one of those urban myths you hear about all the time. A story my boyfriend told me about a girl cursed by the number three. A girl whose parents had killed themselves after her sibling had died in an accident. Which meant that she was doomed to die too. Bad things always happen in threes, they say, and they are right. Because it’s happening again. But this time the curse is coming for me. And worst of all? It’s coming for you, too. “A rattlesnake of a read coiled and glinting and dangerous -- among the very, very best thrillers I've read in years and years. If you like Gillian Flynn, Riley Sager, or John Connolly -- authors who twist the thriller genre like a balloon animal, whose novels fill your lungs like smoke -- you'll love Sam Ripley. I read The Rule of Three with my heart in my throat (because it's that damn suspenseful) and a smile on my lips (because Ripley's such an audacious storyteller). How extraordinary to find a thriller that takes risks like these -- and how exciting to see those risks pay off. A book to leave you reeling.” -- A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of END OF STORY "A completely original, nuanced, one-sitting read that blew me away. Whip-smart dialogue, characters that haunt your dreams and a plot you might just die for. I loved it." -- Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of WE BEGIN AT THE END "How rare it is to devour a new thriller with a truly new premise told in a truly new way. In THE RULE OF THREE, Sam Ripley has achieved the near impossible, blending innovative storytelling with fresh, surprising characters fighting for their lives against the very narrative we are racing to read and keep up with. This twisty, dark delight plumbs our all-too-human paranoias and proclivities, upending our expectations of what a thriller can be." -- Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X series "Ingenious, creepy and compelling. Sam Ripley is an exciting new voice in the field of chilling thrillers." -- Alex North, New York Times bestselling author of THE ANGEL MAKER "THE RULE OF THREE absolutely blew me away. An incredibly intense and original creepy page-turner that made me keep turning the pages in a desperate need to finish it and find out the answers! Utterly paranoia-inducing and brilliant. I loved it. It came for me and now it will come for you!" -- Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of INSOMNIA Sam Ripley is a pseudonym for a bestselling thriller author from the United Kingdom who has sold over a million copies internationally. Chapter One ONE I wasn’t always crazy, but I was never sane. I learned this the hard way, of course, and as with all the best lessons, I understood it too late to heed it. What should I have done? Could I have changed things? The questions don’t so much swirl around my mind as circle the drain of my sanity. Which leads to another question: Would knowing what I know now have helped me at the beginning? Maybe by the end you’ll be able to answer that. You better hope you can. I’m no longer scared, which is a first. I’ve spent my whole life afraid: of the world, of pain, of fear itself. Fear has been my lifelong companion, the friend I didn’t want but who never took the hint. In that way, it was my one true friend, my most loyal friend, yet now even that friend has deserted me. I can’t say I’m at peace—the mad can never rest—but I’m content as the end draws near. I’m content because I now understand what I can do. What I should do. A final good deed. One for the road, so to speak. This, what you’re reading now, is that good deed. You’re welcome. But let’s not be any more morose than we need to be so early on when there’s plenty of misery to come. Let’s start with a celebration instead, a party. They’re fun, right? I’ll tell you about my birthday. Not the most recent one. I don’t want to overburden you before you’re ready. Besides, you don’t need to know that I didn’t even notice when the clock struck midnight or that I spent the hours that followed lost in my work, in my research. Too busy to see, too determined to listen. Too focused on trying to stay alive. So there’s no point starting there. Stay tuned for more of that fateful day later. No, I’ll begin by telling you about the last birthday I enjoyed, the last birthday that meant something. It meant so much in so many ways. Ready? Here comes the flashback: Steve said, “I don’t expect you to listen to us.” Jenny said, “But you really should.” I wasn’t listening because my heart was racing as I tried to make sure I had everything. The holy trinity: money, makeup, and medi