cover image She Can Scream

She Can Scream

Melinda Leigh. Amazon/Montlake Romance, $12.95 trade paper (378p) ISBN 978-1-4778-0741-5

Leigh hammers home the danger of daily routines posted on social media in this well-crafted romantic thriller. A sadistic serial killer stalks Madison Thorpe, whose social media updates tell him just where she’ll be when. As he’s throttling her, she screams. High school math teacher and women’s self-defense instructor Brooke Davenport hears the cry and dashes in to save Madison. The attacker gets away and begins to make plans for both Madison and Brooke. Internet security specialist Luke Holloway, who had a crush on Brooke in high school, has spent three months recovering from being injured in a terrorist blast that killed his assistant. He vows to protect Brooke from danger, and their romance evolves quickly while the killer increases his threats. Leigh (She Can Tell) skillfully leads the reader down several red-herring paths, and the tension ratchets up as the pages turn. This is one to read with the light on. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Sept.)