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Gregg Olsen

Biography

Gregg Olsen

The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen has written more than 30 books, including IF YOU TELL, LYING NEXT TO ME, THE LAST THING SHE EVER DID, and two novels in the Nicole Foster series: THE SOUND OF RAIN and THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE.

Known for his ability to create vivid and fascinating narratives, he has appeared on multiple television and radio shows and news networks, such as "Good Morning America," "Dateline," "Entertainment Tonight," CNN and MSNBC. In addition, Olsen has been featured in Redbook, People and Salon magazine, as well as in the Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and New York Post.

Both his fiction and nonfiction works have received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including prominence on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Washington State officially selected his young adult novel ENVY for the National Book Festival, and THE DEEP DARK was named Idaho Book of the Year.

A Seattle native who lives with his wife in rural Washington State, Olsen already is at work on his next thriller.

Gregg Olsen

Books by Gregg Olsen

by Gregg Olsen - Nonfiction, True Crime

In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s report: natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed. The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death --- including that of his own son --- have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman? With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Gregg Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth --- about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for 45 years.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

When Violet thinks of her happily married grandfather --- a predator lovingly referred to as Papa --- the feelings of rage and betrayal still swell. Her younger sister, Lily, just discovered the numbing truth about him. Their mother, Rose, can’t believe it. When Papa suffers a sudden, and suspicious, fatal heart attack at Violet’s wedding, she can barely conceal her joy. Maybe the fellow survivor at her support group is right: moving on is possible only when monsters are removed from society permanently. Violet is focusing on the now. Even if doing so calls for extremes. For herself, and for the sake of other victims like her, Violet is reclaiming the power stolen from her as a child. But the secrets she now keeps, and the lies she must tell, come with a price.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Detective Lindsay Jackman is investigating the murder of a young journalist and soon learns that the victim was writing an exposé. Her subject: a charismatic wellness guru. When Marnie Spellman was a child, a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, illuming her spiritual connection with nature --- an uncanny event on which Marnie built a cosmetics empire and became the queen of holistic health and eternal beauty. In her inner circle is an intimate band of devotees called the Hive. Determined to uncover the possibly deadly mysteries of the group, Lindsay focuses her investigation on Marnie and the former members of the Hive, who are just as determined to keep Lindsay from their secrets as they are to maintain their status.

by Gregg Olsen - Nonfiction, True Crime

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Adam and Sophie Warner and their three-year-old daughter are vacationing in Washington State’s Hood Canal for Memorial Day weekend. But on Adam’s first day out on the water, he sees Sophie abducted by a stranger. In a nearby cabin is another couple, Kristen and Connor Moss. Unfortunately, beyond what they’ve heard in the news, they’re in the dark when it comes to Sophie’s disappearance. For Adam, at least there’s comfort in knowing that Mason County detective Lee Husemann is an old friend of his. But as Adam’s paranoia about his missing wife escalates, Lee puts together the pieces of a puzzle. The lives of the two couples are converging in unpredictable ways, and the picture is unsettling.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

In the middle of the hottest August in a century, a toddler is found dead inside a parked car. Her father says he forgot her. It’s an unthinkable crime. And for homicide detective Nicole Foster, it’s made all the more unbearable by her own suffocating secrets --- those shared by an old rival who has reappeared from the shadows and is pushing Nicole to the edge once again. Now, wherever the truth lies, solving this case and avenging an unforgivable death is the most important move in Nicole’s career. But to see it through to the end, how far is she willing to go? And what is she prepared to risk this time?

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

For years, Liz and Owen have admired their good friends and neighbors, Carole and David. They appear to have it all --- security, happiness and a beautiful young son named Charlie. Then Charlie vanishes without a trace, and all that seemed safe is shattered by a tragedy that is incomprehensible. It took one fleeting moment for Liz to change the lives of everyone she loves --- a heartrending accident that can’t be undone. Neither can the second-worst mistake of her life: concealing it. There’s another good neighbor who has his own secrets, his own pain, and his own reasons for watching Liz’s every move. And only he knows that the mystery of the missing boy is far from over.

by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris - Nonfiction, True Crime

Thirty-year-old Barbara Weaver was content to live as the Amish have for centuries, but her husband, Eli, wanted a life beyond horses and buggies. When Barbara was found dead, shot in the chest at close range, all eyes were on Eli…and his mistress, a Conservative Mennonite named Barb Raber. The Weaver case marked only the third time an Amish man was suspected of killing his wife in more than 200 years in America. But the investigation raised almost as many questions as it answered: Was Barb Raber the one who fired the fatal shot? Or was Barbara Weaver dead before someone entered the house? What did Eli’s friends, family and church really know about him? And will life among the “Plain People” ever be the same?

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase --- whose murder case ended her career. As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption. But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Seduction. Mind control. Murder. These are the weapons that have made Brenda Nevins one of the most wanted --- and feared --- criminals in the world. Now the notorious serial killer has escaped from prison and is plotting her revenge. Using innocent young women as bait, she will lure her unsuspecting victims into her trap. This time, sheriff’s detective Kendall Stark and forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman won’t be able to stop her. The killing will be filmed. The feed will be live. And the blood will be streaming.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Notorious serial killer Brenda Nevins has cajoled, seduced, blackmailed and left a trail of bodies all across Washington State. Now, after a daring prison escape, she is free to carry out her ultimate act of revenge. The targets: forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman and sheriff’s detective Kendall Stark. The pawn: a television psychic hungry for fame, ratings and blood. There’s only way to stop a killer as brutal, brilliant and twisted as this: Beat her at her own game.

by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris - Nonfiction, True Crime

When a Utah mother went missing in December 2009, the media was swept up in the story --- with lenses and microphones trained on Susan’s husband, Josh. He said he had no idea what happened to his young wife, and that he and the boys had been camping in the middle of a snowstorm. Over the next three years, the story would reveal shocking secrets, ultimately leading to Josh murdering his sons and killing himself.

by Gregg Olsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

For two women, Ted Bundy --- America’s most notorious serial killer --- is the ultimate obsession. One is a cop whose sister may have been one of Bundy’s victims. The other is a deranged groupie who corresponded with Bundy in prison and raised her son to finish what Bundy started. To charm and seduce innocent girls. To kidnap and brutalize more women than any serial killer in history. And to lure one obsessed cop into a trap as sick and demented as Bundy himself.