I Heard You Scream by Emerald O'Brien

Summary
Five can keep a secret if four are dead.

On a cold fall night in a small Canadian town, four of Chelsea’s friends are found dead, victims of a brutal stabbing—a selfish act of revenge.

The only witness, Chelsea spends the next five years struggling to bury her trauma. The victims’ families call her a hero. Her fiancé calls her the love of his life. Her best friend tells her there's nothing more she could have done for her friends. She’s almost convinced herself that it’s true when she attends an anniversary memorial held at the scene of the crime.

But Chelsea’s ability to ignore the past comes to an end that very night when she receives an intimidating message.

Tell the police the truth about what you all did that night or I will.
You have 48 hours to confess.

Is it an empty threat from someone digging for facts they don’t actually possess? Or does someone else know Chelsea shared a secret with her friends? Either way, Chelsea knows the stakes are too high to ignore when the blackmailer resorts to violence—those closest to her might be the next victims if she doesn’t do as they ask.

The truth can ruin her life. But the lies have her just as trapped, a pawn in a deadly game even she doesn’t fully understand. She has no choice but to confess.

But Chelsea’s about to discover that some things are best taken to the grave.

Published: April 21, 2022