Thrillers & Suspense
![Georgina Cross - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B08C7XYGVT.jpg)
One Night: A Novel
One night. That's all the time a family has to decide what to do with the man they believe murdered their daughter: Do they forgive him, or do they take justice into their own hands?
"A locked-room stunner that unfolds at breakneck speed."-Kimberly Belle, USA Today bestselling author of The Personal Assistant
The anonymous letters arrive in the mail, one by one: To find out what really happened to Meg, meet at this location. Don't tell anyone you're coming. In one night, you'll find out everything you need to know.
Ten years after her murder, the letters tell Meghan's family exactly when and where to meet: a cliffside home on the Oregon coast. But on the night they're promised answers, the convicted killer-her high school boyfriend, Cal, who spent only ten years in prison for murder-is found unconscious in his car after it slammed into a tree near the house where the family is sitting and waiting. Is he really the one who invited them to gather?
As a storm rampages along the Pacific Northwest, the power cuts off and leaves the family with no chance of returning to the main road and finding help. So they drag Cal back to the house for the remainder of the night. How easy it would be to let him die and claim it was an accident. Or do they help him instead? As the hours tick by, it becomes an excruciating choice. Half of the family wants to kill him. The other half wants him to regain consciousness so he can tell them what he knows.
But if Cal wakes up, he might reveal that someone in the family knows more than they're letting on. And if that's the case, who is the real killer? And are they already in the house?
"A locked-room stunner that unfolds at breakneck speed."-Kimberly Belle, USA Today bestselling author of The Personal Assistant
The anonymous letters arrive in the mail, one by one: To find out what really happened to Meg, meet at this location. Don't tell anyone you're coming. In one night, you'll find out everything you need to know.
Ten years after her murder, the letters tell Meghan's family exactly when and where to meet: a cliffside home on the Oregon coast. But on the night they're promised answers, the convicted killer-her high school boyfriend, Cal, who spent only ten years in prison for murder-is found unconscious in his car after it slammed into a tree near the house where the family is sitting and waiting. Is he really the one who invited them to gather?
As a storm rampages along the Pacific Northwest, the power cuts off and leaves the family with no chance of returning to the main road and finding help. So they drag Cal back to the house for the remainder of the night. How easy it would be to let him die and claim it was an accident. Or do they help him instead? As the hours tick by, it becomes an excruciating choice. Half of the family wants to kill him. The other half wants him to regain consciousness so he can tell them what he knows.
But if Cal wakes up, he might reveal that someone in the family knows more than they're letting on. And if that's the case, who is the real killer? And are they already in the house?
Editorial Reviews
"A tense and perfectly paced thriller set on a remote stretch of Oregon coastline as a family comes face-to-face with their beloved daughter's killer. In One Night, Georgina Cross perfectly captures the family's fury and grief as they confront their daughter's former boyfriend, and the desperate measures some of them might take to enact revenge. This is a locked-room stunner that unfolds at breakneck speed."-Kimberly Belle, USA Today bestselling author of The Personal Assistant
"What wouldn't a parent do to uncover the truth about their child's passing? In this atmospheric, gothic, beautifully realized story thick with tension that builds to a shriek, Cross establishes herself as a major player in the world of suspense. This book is so full of Christie-esque twists and turns, I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. . . . Deliciously creepy."-J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of It's One of Us
"A clever, atmospheric, and emotionally astute locked-room thriller with unforgettable characters and suspense that will leave you breathless . . . This is a deep dive into a family's grief, full of dark secrets and surprising twists. Clear your schedule!"-Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author
"Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, One Night places a grieving family back at the scene of the crime with their daughter's convicted killer. But what really happened to Meg? A locked-room thriller set in a house perched on a cliff along the Oregon Coast, you'll race through the pages to discover every dark secret and shocking twist. I loved it."-Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of The Widow and Beneath the Surface
"What wouldn't a parent do to uncover the truth about their child's passing? In this atmospheric, gothic, beautifully realized story thick with tension that builds to a shriek, Cross establishes herself as a major player in the world of suspense. This book is so full of Christie-esque twists and turns, I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. . . . Deliciously creepy."-J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of It's One of Us
"A clever, atmospheric, and emotionally astute locked-room thriller with unforgettable characters and suspense that will leave you breathless . . . This is a deep dive into a family's grief, full of dark secrets and surprising twists. Clear your schedule!"-Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author
"Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, One Night places a grieving family back at the scene of the crime with their daughter's convicted killer. But what really happened to Meg? A locked-room thriller set in a house perched on a cliff along the Oregon Coast, you'll race through the pages to discover every dark secret and shocking twist. I loved it."-Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of The Widow and Beneath the Surface
Readers Top Reviews
Barbara Lack
What a splendid thriller. The ending was quite a surprise. I love when I think I know the ending and then I’m proven wrong in a spectacular way. The writing is phenomenal. I couldn’t read it fast enough. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
kathleen g
What really happened to Meghan? Her family has been invited to a gorgeous house on the coast by a mysterious unnamed person who has promised to tell them at long last. Was it Cal- her high school boyfriend who went to prison largely because of the testimony of her sister Sam? Her mother Maureen has always believed Cal did it. Why isn't her youngest sister Alice responding to calls and emails? Never fear- the whole family, Maureen, Sam, Alice, her father, his new wife Rebecca, and their uncle will all meet for dinner and revelations. There's an unexpected twist here, that should come as a surprise so no spoilers. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I found the writing for this thriller a bit mannered (and different from Nanny Needed- which I think is a better book). That said, Cross did have me turning the pages for the answers.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
Maureen
Red is supposed to be a cheerful color: bright, bold, attention-getting. It's what you'd choose for an invitation to a party, not as a threat. Maureen looks at it again and the thought resurfaces: it's the color of blood. It's what she thought the first time she saw the envelope three days ago when it arrived in her mail. An invitation to this home on the Oregon coast, the same invitation that everyone in her family received.
Don't tell anyone you're coming.
In one night, you'll find out what happened to Meg.
Meg. Her daughter only allowed certain people to call her that.
The letter is single-spaced and typed, with instructions to a remote house with an anonymous host. Surely most people wouldn't travel somewhere on the invitation of a stranger, but the Chisholms aren't your typical family and they have already been through so much. They're intrigued by what they might learn, except for Maureen.
This invite is enough to push her over the edge.
And now she's staring at one.
At the window, her eyes track to the cliff and the thousand-foot plunge that drops to jagged rocks and raging foam. Beyond that, the majestic Pacific Ocean spreads out before her in an undulating mass of whitecaps and indigo waves. The place where the ocean meets the sky is indistinguishable: at the horizon, the lines blur, the dark water rising to blackening clouds. A storm is coming, and Maureen squeezes her hands, the electricity pulsing through her.
Her eyes lift to a single bird dipping in the wind. Its flight is so graceful, the bird seemingly unaware that it might be the only one out there, its friends taking cover somewhere else. She watches the gull's outstretched wings, the bird so unencumbered and free that she longs to be it. She longs to be anywhere but here. Because in this house, the walls are closing in. Once the storm hits, they won't be going anywhere.
Maureen's heart lifts, then aches as she glances at Sam, who moves through the kitchen marveling at what she sees. She reminds herself she is here to protect her, that her youngest daughter begged them to follow through with the letter.
This is a trap, Maureen thinks. Or a con.
Cal brought them here-her oldest daughter's high school boyfriend from ten years ago. He used to call her Meg too. Now that he's out of prison, he has something new he wants to say.
She wants to seal his mouth shut. If she could, she would drop him at the bottom of the ocean.
When Sam saw the invitation, she insisted they make the trip. Maureen did her best to dissuade her, but Sam pushed back, and Maureen knew she had no choice. There was no way in hell she would let her youngest travel to this house alone. If her middle child, Alice, arrives, she will protect her too.
But there's no telling when she will show up since Alice doesn't answer their phone calls much anymore.
But Sam is different. She's bolder, and despite everything that has happened, she's far too hopeful. Maureen thinks her youngest, at twenty-four, would be frightened, that she would never want to see Cal again, especially after what she said in a courtroom helped send him to prison. But Sam is determined. She's always been determined. And so is Maureen.
She jams the envelope inside her pocket and pushes the corner down with her thumb. She keeps the invitation hidden, wondering if her daughter brought her own copy.
Sam is opening kitchen cabinets and calling out about the contents: an inventory of soup and bread, flour and sugar, and a package of cookies, as if they're on vacation. She holds up a bag of coffee and grins, but something creeps at the back of Maureen's neck.
"What do you mean there's food?"
"Come look."
She finds cans of soup like her daughter said, at least six, along with a jar of pasta sauce. In the fridge, a gallon of milk, fat-free and unopened with the expiration set for a week from now. In the drawer, an assortment of cheeses and deli meat, everything in its original wrapping, waiting for them.
"What is this?" she asks.
Sam shrugs. "Maybe the owner left it for us? Or the person who stayed before didn't eat everything?"
Maureen eyes the shelves, but nothing is open or half-used. All the seals are intact, the food is new, the refrigerator wiped clean. On the counter is a bowl of fruit topped with bananas, Sam's favorite, along with shiny green Granny Smiths. Someone ...
Maureen
Red is supposed to be a cheerful color: bright, bold, attention-getting. It's what you'd choose for an invitation to a party, not as a threat. Maureen looks at it again and the thought resurfaces: it's the color of blood. It's what she thought the first time she saw the envelope three days ago when it arrived in her mail. An invitation to this home on the Oregon coast, the same invitation that everyone in her family received.
Don't tell anyone you're coming.
In one night, you'll find out what happened to Meg.
Meg. Her daughter only allowed certain people to call her that.
The letter is single-spaced and typed, with instructions to a remote house with an anonymous host. Surely most people wouldn't travel somewhere on the invitation of a stranger, but the Chisholms aren't your typical family and they have already been through so much. They're intrigued by what they might learn, except for Maureen.
This invite is enough to push her over the edge.
And now she's staring at one.
At the window, her eyes track to the cliff and the thousand-foot plunge that drops to jagged rocks and raging foam. Beyond that, the majestic Pacific Ocean spreads out before her in an undulating mass of whitecaps and indigo waves. The place where the ocean meets the sky is indistinguishable: at the horizon, the lines blur, the dark water rising to blackening clouds. A storm is coming, and Maureen squeezes her hands, the electricity pulsing through her.
Her eyes lift to a single bird dipping in the wind. Its flight is so graceful, the bird seemingly unaware that it might be the only one out there, its friends taking cover somewhere else. She watches the gull's outstretched wings, the bird so unencumbered and free that she longs to be it. She longs to be anywhere but here. Because in this house, the walls are closing in. Once the storm hits, they won't be going anywhere.
Maureen's heart lifts, then aches as she glances at Sam, who moves through the kitchen marveling at what she sees. She reminds herself she is here to protect her, that her youngest daughter begged them to follow through with the letter.
This is a trap, Maureen thinks. Or a con.
Cal brought them here-her oldest daughter's high school boyfriend from ten years ago. He used to call her Meg too. Now that he's out of prison, he has something new he wants to say.
She wants to seal his mouth shut. If she could, she would drop him at the bottom of the ocean.
When Sam saw the invitation, she insisted they make the trip. Maureen did her best to dissuade her, but Sam pushed back, and Maureen knew she had no choice. There was no way in hell she would let her youngest travel to this house alone. If her middle child, Alice, arrives, she will protect her too.
But there's no telling when she will show up since Alice doesn't answer their phone calls much anymore.
But Sam is different. She's bolder, and despite everything that has happened, she's far too hopeful. Maureen thinks her youngest, at twenty-four, would be frightened, that she would never want to see Cal again, especially after what she said in a courtroom helped send him to prison. But Sam is determined. She's always been determined. And so is Maureen.
She jams the envelope inside her pocket and pushes the corner down with her thumb. She keeps the invitation hidden, wondering if her daughter brought her own copy.
Sam is opening kitchen cabinets and calling out about the contents: an inventory of soup and bread, flour and sugar, and a package of cookies, as if they're on vacation. She holds up a bag of coffee and grins, but something creeps at the back of Maureen's neck.
"What do you mean there's food?"
"Come look."
She finds cans of soup like her daughter said, at least six, along with a jar of pasta sauce. In the fridge, a gallon of milk, fat-free and unopened with the expiration set for a week from now. In the drawer, an assortment of cheeses and deli meat, everything in its original wrapping, waiting for them.
"What is this?" she asks.
Sam shrugs. "Maybe the owner left it for us? Or the person who stayed before didn't eat everything?"
Maureen eyes the shelves, but nothing is open or half-used. All the seals are intact, the food is new, the refrigerator wiped clean. On the counter is a bowl of fruit topped with bananas, Sam's favorite, along with shiny green Granny Smiths. Someone ...
