Secret Strangers by Thomas Tessier (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia), a two-time recipient of the International Horror Guild Award, is his standalone crime suspense psychological horror novel (apparently not a supernatural despite the filed categories, going by the editorial reviews which, incidentally, both contain major plot spoilers and indicate that this one may not necessarily be up to Tessier's award-winning standards), starring a teenager who uncovers a secret which she and her boyfriend decide to use for blackmail, only to find the tables turning upon them as events spiral out of control, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press' Venture imprint.
This was originally published in 1990 by Macdonald.
Currently free @
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much everywhere else worldwide that Amazon sells, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive or else program)
Description
Evil waits, and watches…
Money may be the root of all evil — but in one small town there is greater malice abroad…
Whilst babysitting for her neighbours, 17-year-old Heidi stumbles across photographs of illicit sex sessions.
She and her boyfriend decide to exploit these for their own gain, unaware of the magnitude of horror and tragedy that will result. And as they become greedier, suspicion and fear begin to corrode the heart of Clearville…with violence and retribution soon to follow.
Before long, Heidi and Gary are caught in a situation hurtling crazily out of control. The blackmailers are now the hunted, and even old friends are no longer quite what they seem.
For suddenly people they knew all their lives have become secret strangers…
Secret Strangers is a gripping horror thriller from bestselling author Thomas Tessier. Tessier won the Winner of the International Horror Guild Award for his novel Wicked Things.