Head Cases

When Jacob Ridgehorn dies, it's up to Roby Snow to make sure his soul goes on to the eternal reward. The only way Roby can do that is convince the Ridgehorn family to eat a special pie. Lurking in the shadows is a mysterious figure named Johnny Divine, monitoring the crossroads between the living and the dead. Southern Appalachian funeral customs get crossed when Roby has to perform miracles...or else.

A DRM-free novella originally published in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Length: 22,000 words, the equivalent of 110 printed book pages.

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Scott Nicholson is the bestselling author of the thrillers Disintegration, Troubled, The Red Church, Speed Dating with the Dead, and more. With J.R. Rain, he’s written the urban fantasy Cursed! and three other paranormal fantasy books. His other novels include Drummer Boy, The Harvest, Kiss Me or Die, and The Gorge

His collections include Ashes, Flowers, The First, Curtains: Mystery Stories, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Gateway Drug.

The serial killer takes on many guises. But what happens when you unknowingly take him as your most trusted and loyal husband?
Pathological is proof that even though you think you know your spouse inside and out, you might not really know him at all.

A NEW YORK TIMES EBOOK BESTSELLER

A simple domestic abuse case turns deadly when the alleged abuser is killed and Stephanie Ann “Sam” McRae’s client disappears. When a friend asks Sam to find Melanie Hayes, the Maryland attorney is drawn into a complex case of murder and identity theft that has her running from the Mob, breaking into a strip club and forming a shaky alliance with an offbeat private investigator to discover the truth about Melanie and her ex-boyfriend.

With her career and life on the line, Sam’s search takes her from the blue-collar Baltimore suburbs to the mansions of Gibson Island. Along the way, she learns that false identities can hide dark secrets, and those secrets can destroy lives.

REVIEWS AND ENDORSEMENTS
"Debbi Mack has created a first-rate heroine in Sam McRae. Sam is tough, resilient, sassy and unstoppable. Good thing, too, as IDENTITY CRISIS moves at a slam-bam pace." -- Simon Wood, author of TERMINATED

"If you enjoy realistic legal thrillers—and dread the thought of 'identity theft' striking home—IDENTITY CRISIS will be a genuine treat. Debbi Mack has used her own experience as an attorney to craft a twisty yet completely credible plot. And her protagonist, Stephanie Ann 'Sam' McRae, is a perfect example of what every client should hope for in an advocate: a professional who's willing to take risks both inside AND outside the courtroom." -- Jeremiah Healy, Author of RESCUE, TURNABOUT and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER

"IDENTITY CRISIS is a well-written and well-plotted mystery which introduces lawyer-sleuth Sam McRae. She’s an exciting new protagonist mystery readers will want to get to know." -- Louise Titchener, Author of MALPRACTICE, BURNED IN BALTIMORE and BURIED IN BALTIMORE

“Of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock once said, ‘There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ Author Debbi Mack nails that statement in this tightly written tale about a flawed Maryland attorney, ‘Sam’ McRae, and her relentless search for a killer when the domestic abuse case she has been handling kicks itself up a notch: The accused is found dead and his wife has taken off. Not good. Add to that the FBI, the Mob, identity theft, and a vulnerable main character involved with a married prosecutor and you have a darn good page-turner. Debbi Mack crafts a taut narrative with crackling dialogue.” -- Aimee Zuccarini, The Maryland Women's Journal, Oct./Nov. 2009.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbi Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae mystery series. She’s also a Derringer Award–nominated short story writer. Her short stories have appeared in various anthologies and publications.

A former attorney, Debbi has also worked as a journalist, librarian, and freelance writer/researcher. She enjoys walking, cats, travel and movies.