The Guilt We Carry

Samuel W Gailey

Jan 2019 · Oceanview Publishing

About this ebook

A frantic race against the clock, against death, against inner demons

Since the tragic accident that brutally ended her childhood, Alice O'Farrell has been haunted by her past. Unable to bear the guilt of negligence that led to the death of her younger brother, fifteen-year-old Alice runs away from home. She lives on the streets, makes one bad decision after another, and drowns her guilt in alcohol.

But, everything changes when she stumbles upon a startling scene: a dead drug dealer and a duffel bag full of ninety-one thousand dollars in cash. Recognizing this as an opportunity for a fresh start, Alice takes the money and runs. However, she soon finds herself fleeing from more than her own past—the dead dealer's drug supplier wants his money back and will destroy her to get it.

A merciless manhunt ensues, headed by Sinclair—a formidable opponent—relentless, shrewd, and brutal. As blood is spilled all around her, Alice is eventually faced with her day of reckoning.

In the end, The Guilt We Carry is a story about redemption and forgiveness—but at what cost?

Perfect for readers of The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window

Ratings and reviews

Alice wakes up in a strange room, with a strange man lying next to her. She's suffering a bad hangover, and doesn't remember how she got there. But she does know the man and one thing for certain. she would never have gone with him unless she was drugged. She tries to quietly find her clothing, but the man seems dead to the world ... mainly because he is dead. It seems like she's made one bad decision after another for the past few years. She had had a bright future when she was a teenager... but a traumatic experience sent her reeling, and then living on the streets. Alcohol became her drug of choice ... anything to deaden the memory .. and the guilt. When she finds the man's duffel bag, she finds more than clean clothes .. and she makes another decision that is going to change the course of her life once again. And when she leaves, she leaves behind a total of 5 dead men ... and another one who will try to hunt her down. Alice is a terrific character. She's damaged, but still has hope that she can turn her life around someday. She's flawed, has issues, but she's hanging in there. And when she becomes the hunted, bodies fall and blood flows. Alice is eventually faced with her day of reckoning. In the end, The Guilt We Carry is a story about redemption and forgiveness, but at what cost? It's a well written story ... and I really enjoyed the use of sounds in the telling ... the sounds when underwater ... when a dryer is running .... when someone cocks a gun. It grabs from the very first and the suspense and tension is driven higher and higher. Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Edelweiss for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

Samuel W. Gailey was raised in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania (population 379) and now resides on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest. The Guilt We Carry is his second novel, following the critically acclaimed Deep Winter. Gailey’s novels are intriguing studies of human nature and portray how the simplest act of fate can alter and shatter lives. Before writing novels, he worked in film production and eventually became a screenwriter, writing and developing shows for Showtime and Fox. He lives with his wife, author Ayn Gailey, and daughter on Orcas Island where he is a founding member of the Orcas Island Literary Festival, the Telluride of book festivals.