They're Gone

About the book

Two women's husbands are murdered on the same night in the same way--and their investigation uncovers a terrifying connection.

Two men from vastly different backgrounds are murdered one after another on the same night, in the same fashion with two bullet wounds: one in the head, another in the heart. The two slayings sends their wives on a desperate search for answers--and a desperate attempt to save their families' lives.

Grief takes a heavy toll on northern Virginia freelance editor Deb Linh Thomas when she learns of her husband's murder. And utter dismay sets in when, just a week after the funeral, she discovers that he had been the subject of an FBI investigation after withdrawing a large sum of money from their shared accounts.

Elsewhere, Baltimore bartender Cessy Castillo is less bereft when her abusive husband, ex-cop Hector Ramirez, is killed. But it turns out that he was deep in hock--and now Cessy's expected to pay up.

Deb and the FBI agent assigned to her case start digging into her husband's murder and learn that he had been the target of criminals. As Deb and Cessy join forces to learn the truth, their investigation reveals an ever-darker web of clues, but if they're not careful, they may just end up like their husbands.

Praise for this book:

"A relentless, pulse-pounding thriller that showcases E.A. Barres’s talent for injecting gritty crime stories with sympathetic, emotionally complex characters and sharp black humor. Barres skillfully combines a dark story about corruption, greed, and violence with an emotional arc about grief, resilience, and the lengths a person will go to protect their family-all while keeping the pace swift and the dialogue witty." - Kathleen Barber

"Perfect pacing and imperfect heroes make this book a hard one to put down!" - Susan Crawford

"Intense, gritty and absolutely riveting, E.A. Barres’s perfectly constructed plot unfolds with the thoughtful precision and menace of a cat burglar. They’re Gone seamlessly blends heart-pounding action with searing social commentary. This thriller has a deliciously dark wit that makes for an unforgettable read." - Hilary Davidson

"A great, succinct style...expertly capture[s] the grief of unexpectedly using a loved one." - Kellye Garrett

"A stunning, dark, evocative thriller." - Jennifer Hillier

"They're Gone is a powerful, gritty mystery that firmly establishes E.A. Barres as a voice to be reckoned with in the genre. Barres deftly weaves two very different stories together to create one compulsively readable and defiantly of-the-moment whodunit that lingers with you long after you’ve read the last page." - Alex Segura

"E.A. Barres strikes criminal gold once more with his latest...Possibly one of the crime thrillers of the year." - Vincent Zandri