THE CRUSHING

The victim of a vicious assault six years ago that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, Olivia Callahan is now a private investigator with her own firm. The assault that almost took her life resulted in a spectacular metamorphosis. No longer the shy, passive introvert she once was, she’s become a driving and determined force. However, the lack of impulse control caused by her rewired brain causes her to run toward trouble instead of away from it.

When Olivia sends her colleague, Sherry, to the Florida panhandle to find a missing friend, Hannah; the search takes Sherry into the dark heart of an abusive, hostage situation. The man Hannah married is cruel, dangerous, and well-connected. Olivia reels in her favorite cop—Sergeant Hunter Faraday—for a discreet assist, and it soon becomes clear that Hannah’s new husband is adept at waging war against anything that blocks his way.

While rescuing Hannah is Olivia’s primary goal, her incarcerated ex-husband has other plans. He’s collected friends who support his obsessive need to punish her for her role in his murder conviction, and a time bomb is ticking.

As Olivia and Sherry battle to save Hannah, try to neutralize the fiendish plan of an ex bent on revenge, and endure a terrifying race for their lives through the Florida wetlands, a final betrayal waits patiently in the dark. Smiling.

. . .

“Fans of Frieda McFadden and Lisa Jewell will stay up past their bedtimes devouring the latest thriller from Kerry Peresta. Haunted by her abusive ex-husband, P.I. Olivia Callahan had better keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Now if she could only tell them apart. When one of her best friends goes missing in a Florida swamp, the clock is ticking as the suspense winds tighter on every page.”   

~ Kelly Oliver, author of the Jessica James Mysteries

“The tension in Kerry Peresta's The Crushing is off the chain. Chilling. "I can beat this," the captive whispers from her locked room. "I will escape." Taut. Gripping. Engrossing. Highly recommended!”  

~ Tracy Clark, award-winning author

of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery Series

and the Det. Harriet Foster Series

“Rich details, a strong, character-driven plot, and enough snaky twists and turns to give you vertigo - this fourth entry in Kerry Peresta’s Olivia Callahan series will have you sweating bullets and turning pages like a tornado, and leave you breathless as a mile sprinter. There’s nothing less simple than a simple missing-persons case, and there are far worse things than gators in the dark, dank Florida boonies. Don’t believe me? Read The Crushing.”  

~ J.R. Sanders, Shamus Award-winning author

of the Nate Ross novels

“Relentlessly paced and unputdownable, The Crushing is a thriller with twists, turns, and plenty of heart. Taking the reader from Maryland to the everglades of Florida, Kerry Peresta delivers complex characters and deft plotting in this latest Olivia Callahan suspense. You won’t want to miss it!”  

~ K.L. Murphy, author of Last Girl Missing, Her Sister’s Death,

and the Detective Cancini Mystery Series

“In The Crushing, Peresta manages an exquisite balance between the jagged and the tender edges of humanity. Complex, relatable characters, engaging writing, and a nail-biter of a plot had me hooked from the first page.” 

~ Susan Crawford, best-selling author

of The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow