Five Will Die

Trace Conger

Oct 2021 · Black Mill Books

About this eBook

A small-town sheriff with a panic disorder must solve a series of murders before the killer claims his fifth victim and disappears forever.  

A serial killer thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page.  

Tim Burke is the sheriff of Lincoln, Ohio, a small town where nothing happens. That all changes when he finds a chilling note claiming five people will die in town. At first, Burke and his two deputies dismiss it as a prank by local teenagers. This is idyllic Lincoln, Ohio, after all. 

Then the bodies begin turning up.

Consumed by the murder investigation, Burke uncovers a link to another Ohio town, where a killer left a similar note, claimed five victims, and vanished without a trace. Burke also discovers something else. His panic disorder, which had been dormant since retiring from Cleveland's gruesome homicide division three years ago, has returned more paralyzing than ever.

Can Burke overcome his debilitating condition and stop the killer before he claims his fifth and final victim and leaves Lincoln forever?

Five Will Die is the sixth novel from Shamus Award-winning author Trace Conger.

Ratings and reviews

Sheriff Tim Burke transferred to this small, sleepy town in Ohio from Cleveland's Homicide Division following a horrifying unsolved case. These days he has to only worry about who graffitied the side of a farmer's barn. It's only him and his two deputies, until he receives a note .... 5 PEOPLE WILL DIE IN LINCOLN. Taking it as a prank, the note is tossed. The the first body is found .... and then the second. There are no clues, no evidence, no motives for these small town residents. What connects them .. and can the killer be stopped before more bodies are found? The plot is intriguing, the story line is full of police procedure that focus on the way police and other legal entities interact with the public and how the characteristics of those interactions shape the public's views of the police. There are twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride. The ending is fast and furious and totally unexpected. Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

From the start of this book, the characters draw you in and blossomed. The town itself was a character with all of the charm of small-town living. In a place where locals know everyone and everything it is impossible to imagine crime rearing its ugly head, but it does. The author artfully developed the characters and makes them come to life. The Sherrif's close connection with the community makes the deaths personal and his desire to stop them palpable. Maintaining a professional investigation while navigating friendships and the grapevine of speculation is a walk on a tightrope. Help and hindrance both come from the community around him. The Sherrif knows that the killer is close but you are left to wonder just how close until the very end. I would certainly reccomend this book. Thank you to the author for providing a digital copy for my opinion. The opinions shared are mine alone and no compensation or direction was provided.

About the author

Trace Conger is an award-winning author in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres. He writes the Connor Harding (Thriller) series and the Mr. Finn (PI) series.

His Connor Harding series follows freelance “Mirage Man” Connor Harding as he solves problems for the world’s most dangerous criminals. The Mr. Finn series follows private investigator Finn Harding as he straddles the fine line between right and wrong.

Conger won a Shamus Award for his debut novel, THE SHADOW BROKER. His suspense novella, THE WHITE BOY, won the Fresh Ink Award for Best Novella of 2020.

He is known for his tight writing style, dark themes, and subtle humor. Trace lives in Cincinnati with his wonderfully supportive family.

Visit him online at www.traceconger.com.

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