Beyond Dark 1: Belladonna
Book by: LaviniaThompson
Reads: 2699 | Likes: 8 | Shelves: 9 | Comments: 4
"I am surrounded by beautiful things… but I am not one of them."
Agent Alyssa Rawkesby never thought she'd relate so strongly to a serial killer's letter. But the moment she reads it, she knows there is no going back - she must find the notorious Belladonna Killer, even if it breaks the mental stability she spent seven years repairing. Women in Ottawa, Ontario are being poisoned to death and left posed with a bizarre signature. The grief and fear is filtering through the entertainment industry over a shadow slipping death into drinks.
As an expert in female serial killers, and a veteran criminal psychologist, Alyssa never before encountered a case like this. Is Belladonna a sadistic monster, or a victim of something sinister Alyssa is too familiar with? She fears looking Belladonna in the eye will be like looking at her own reflection - or that of someone she cut from her life a long time ago. But time is running out to save other women. She gets assigned a new, rookie partner, and she tries not to unravel as lines blur between what the killer truly is and the pieces of her own past.
"I know how it feels to live with crippling insecurity behind a mask of false ego and confidence. I only want to connect to a world I feel so detached from. To connect with something, anything to feel normal." - Alyssa
NOTE: I have self-published this book! A professionally edited and polished version is for sale with most retailers as an eBook, and paperbacks will be available soon!
https://books2read.com/BeyondDarkBelladonna
Cover art by _Foxicious on Wattpad.
Table of Contents
May 20, 2016
Friday
Ottawa, Ontario
Alyssa looked across the street at the throng of ... Read Chapter
Alyssa gazed at the white house, the front lined with pink and yellow tulips before an immaculate green lawn stretched to the sidewalk. W... Read Chapter
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Alyssa said, raising an eyebrow.
She watched Thayer gaze at the restored, bright r... Read Chapter
Why re-dress the victims? The new detail confounded Alyssa as she and Thayer emerged from the stairwell onto the third floor of the ICB f... Read Chapter
A pair of big hazel eyes landed on Thayer as the door closed behind him and Alyssa. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Natalie’... Read Chapter
With a coffee mug in each hand, Thayer walked to the conference room, pausing at the doorway. He tilted his head. Golden rays of the suns... Read Chapter
May 21, 2016
Saturday
A hollow ache in her chest weighed down when Alyssa awoke before her alarm, with Jack on t... Read Chapter
Perhaps the Belladonna killer couldn’t stand to keep her inner world to herself anymore, Alyssa mused. There was something the unsub co... Read Chapter
Infinity Cabs was tucked away in an industrial area of the city with a fenced gravel lot out back. A small bell rang as Alyssa and Thayer... Read Chapter
Stainless steel tables and bland white walls felt as sterile as the scent of bleach surrounding Alyssa and Thayer. Across the ... Read Chapter
“I know I suggested she might be a suspect, but are we really about to accuse a victim’s best friend of murder?” Thayer said as the... Read Chapter
May 24, 2016
Tuesday
Alyssa hated press conferences. She was grateful Sam scheduled it for firs... Read Chapter
June 2, 2016
Thursday
String lights glittered against bottles on the wall and glasses on tables. Quiet mus... Read Chapter
June 3, 2016
Friday
“Alannah Winter is indeed a small-town girl from Coaldale, Alberta. She’s 25-years old. Fits o... Read Chapter
June 4, 2016
Saturday
At 12:30 a.m., the pub where Jackie met Grace was almost empty. Two tables were occupied and no ... Read Chapter
June 6, 2016
Monday
She’ll be dead by the time you get this. The world is obsessed with fame. We’re dying for a ne... Read Chapter
“We just got these back from Forensics. The handwriting doesn’t match Charlotte, Natalie or Lisa,” Alyssa said with a fr... Read Chapter
“Maybe I’m being paranoid. But since Julia’s death, I’ve noticed the same person in different places I go to. My favourite coffee... Read Chapter
June 7, 2016
Tuesday
Alyssa and Thayer entered the Forensic Pathology Unit at 9 a.m., greeted by Dr. Murie ... Read Chapter
Alyssa sighed as she hung up her phone, picking up a red marker to cross Charlotte Manes off the list of suspects. Her editor confirmed C... Read Chapter
She dusted upon her eyes hues of gold and pink, running her hands through the wig’s golden locks falling over her shoulders. The teal s... Read Chapter
Alyssa paused upon getting out of the car. Yellow tape cordoned off the same alley where Alannah’s body was left, surrounded by pesky r... Read Chapter
The cotton skirt of Yolie’s white maxi dress spilled over her crossed legs as she sat at an outdoor table. Blond waves of her wig fell ... Read Chapter
An eerie quietness descended over the house when Alyssa and Thayer arrived. Right behind them was the S.W.A.T. team. Yolie’s car was in... Read Chapter
With another case closed, Alyssa boxed up the last bags of evidence in the conference room, keeping it organized by case numbe... Read Chapter
Recent Comments
Not bad,not bad at all....
Thu, January 30th, 2020 7:37am
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Thank you!
Fri, January 31st, 2020 3:59pmFacebook Comments
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Robert Helliger
A well written crime mystery book, with engaging characters, and story line too.
Thu, January 2nd, 2020 4:53am