Devils at the Door - (A Shana Merchant Novel) by Tessa Wegert

About the Book

"Sixteen-year-old Henrietta used to be happy. But that was before her family hit the national news. Before she - and the whole world - knew she was related to one of New York's most prolific serial killers. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant readily agrees when her brother asks her to take in his troubled, rebellious daughter for the fall semester. Doug's convinced that spending a few months in Alexandria Bay with Shana will straighten Hen out. But when Hen arrives, Shana's not so sure. She can't help but distrust the strange and manipulative teen, who binge-watches bloody movies and roams the house at night, taking things that aren't hers. Soon, though, Shana has more to worry about than missing heirlooms when she's called to investigate the suspicious drowning of a local teenager, only to discover her niece at the scene of the crime. What happened that night on the dark, uninhabited island of Devil's Oven? With Hen and her new friends not talking, and a community determined to keep their secrets dead and buried, Shana knows it's a race against time to uncover the truth before her niece is upgraded from key witness to prime suspect." --

Book Synopsis

A suspicious drowning throws New York State senior investigator Shana Merchant's life into turmoil in this taut, thrilling small-town mystery - perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware.

Sixteen-year-old Henrietta used to be happy. But that was before her family hit the national news. Before she - and the whole world - knew she was related to one of New York's most prolific serial killers.

Senior Investigator Shana Merchant readily agrees when her brother asks her to take in his troubled, rebellious daughter for the fall semester. Doug's convinced that spending a few months in Alexandria Bay with Shana will straighten Hen out.

But when Hen arrives, Shana's not so sure. She can't help but distrust the strange and manipulative teen, who binge-watches bloody movies and roams the house at night, taking things that aren't hers.

Soon, though, Shana has more to worry about than missing heirlooms when she's called to investigate the suspicious drowning of a local teenager, only to discover her niece at the scene of the crime.

What happened that night on the dark, uninhabited island of Devil's Oven? With Hen and her new friends not talking, and a community determined to keep their secrets dead and buried, Shana knows it's a race against time to uncover the truth before her niece is upgraded from key witness to prime suspect.

Review Quotes

An extremely well-written crime novel . . . fans of the series will not be disappointed -- "Booklist"

An explosive small town mystery filled with delicious and deadly secrets

-- "Darby Kane, #1 international bestselling author of The Engagement Party"

Stellar . . . Devil's at the Door has all the hallmarks of this excellent series - spooky Thousand Islands atmosphere, rich characterization, and a compelling circle of suspects-- "Sarah Stewart Taylor, author of the Maggie D'arcy mysteries"

Wegert expertly . . . keeps readers off-balance as the investigation unfolds-- "Publishers Weekly"

A tale whose secrets keep getting more and more devastating. Missing your relatives and your summer vacation? Wegert has the perfect antidote-- "Kirkus Reviews"

A compelling, unique mystery with twists I never saw coming. I couldn't put it down-- "Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife"

A taut, atmospheric and compulsive thriller that had me gripped as every secret unravelled and the investigation reached its compelling conclusion-- "Nadine Matheson, author of The Jigsaw Man"

Louise Penny meets Ruth Ware in this small town mystery that bubbles with secrets and intrigue-- "Charlie Donlea, internationally bestselling author, on Dead Wind"

[A] standout crime thriller . . . Wegert nicely balances plot and characterization. Fans of Denise Mina's Alex Morrow will be pleased-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Dead Wind"

[Wegert has] rightly earned the badge as one of the finest talents of the past three years. And The Kind to Kill is her best novel to date-- "The Strand Magazine on The Kind to Kill"

A bone-chilling mystery that crackles with suspense-- "Joanna Schaffhausen, author of the Annalisa Vega novels, on Dead Wind"

An atmospheric, sophisticated thriller with layers upon layers of secrets-- "Sarah Stewart Taylor, author of the Maggie D'arcy mysteries, on Dead Wind"

The complex plot and subtle characterizations elevate this above similar fare. Wegert remains a writer to watch-- "Publishers Weekly on The Kind to Kill"

Wegert does an admirable job of generating mounting suspense-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Kind to Kill"

Wegert melds the police investigation so deftly with Shana's endless family drama-- "Kirkus Reviews on Dead Wind"

About the Author

Tessa Wegert is the author of the Shana Merchant series of mysteries. A former freelance journalist, Tessa has contributed to such publications as Forbes, The Huffington Post, Adweek, The Economist and The Globe and Mail. Tessa grew up in Qu�bec and now lives with her husband and children in Connecticut, where she studies martial arts.