Friend in the Dark

Samantha M. Bailey is the USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her. Her books have sold in eleven countries. She lives in Toronto, where she can usually be found tapping away at her computer or curled up on her couch with a book. Connect with her on Instagram (@SBaileyBooks) and Facebook (Samantha M. Bailey) and visit her website at https://SamanthaMBailey.com.

Praise for Samantha M. BaileyA Friend in the Dark“Suspenseful, twisty, and addictive. A Friend in the Dark is smartly written and deliciously chilling. I couldn’t put it down. This is Bailey at her best! I paused an episode of Below Deck: Down Under to finish this book. That’s how invested I was.” —Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage“Wow! Chilling, riveting…and page-turningly edgy. The oh-so-talented Samantha M. Bailey has created a twisted (and steamy!) world of power, passion, and vulnerability. This seductive thriller with its deep understanding of psychological trauma and the heavy secrets of the past is brave, original, and haunting. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Lisa Unger will cheer this must-read author.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest“Samantha M. Bailey never disappoints! A Friend in the Dark is one of the most intriguing and surprising books I’ve read in a while. You think you know where it’s headed…but you don’t. This thriller shocked me to the very end.” —Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife“With A Friend in the Dark, Samantha M. Bailey has crafted what’s destined to be one of the most binge-worthy, buzzed about thrillers of the year. Wholly propulsive with twist after mind-blowing twist, richly layered characters, and an intricate plot, Bailey is at the top of her game and delivers not only a spine-tingling thriller but also a potent examination of the complexity of female desire and the terrifying, dark side of online relationships. A Friend in the Dark will have you glued from its first page to its explosive conclusion. An absolute masterpiece from the master of suspense!” —May Cobb, award-winning author of A Likeable Woman and The Hunting Wives“A tautly written story of twists, deception, and long-simmering desire, A Friend in the Dark is a thriller that consumed me from start to end. Samantha M. Bailey is a master of surprise endings and complex antagonists, and each chapter of this story flew by. Do not miss this one!” —Elle Marr, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Family Bones“A sexy treat of a thriller loaded with twists and hairpin turns! Fans of Colleen Hoover should love A Friend in the Dark. It will keep you guessing and up way too late.” —Daniel Kalla, bestselling author of Fit to Die“When you sit down with a Samantha M. Bailey novel, you expect to be nailed to your seat for the duration. A Friend in the Dark does that and so much more: this electrifying, layered, and psychologically acute thriller examines female desire, marriage, and motherhood while sweeping you off on a twisty ride all the way to its visceral, explosive finale. Bailey expertly crafts dark history and human foibles into an addictive narrative cocktail. Welcome to your next book hangover.” —Damyanti Biswas, bestselling author of the Blue Mumbai series“A Friend in the Dark, by Samantha M. Bailey, is a knockout punch of a thriller. This wild ride starts with a marriage in freefall, then twists through a series of escalating and creepy turns before careening to a stunning conclusion. I read this one in a day and so will you.” —Darby Kane, internationally bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife and The Engagement Party“Several lives burdened with tangled histories of desire, fear, cruelty, revenge, and murder are on a collision course until they intersect brilliantly in Samantha M. Bailey’s A Friend in the Dark. Eden Miller finds herself suddenly without her husband, at war with her daughter, at a crossroads she never anticipated when, vulnerable and eager for attention, a long-ago flame reenters her life, igniting a forgotten passion. This is a sexy, dark, and twisty tale from a master of the genre. Highly recommended!” —Jon Lindstrom, author of Hollywood Hustle, and four-time Emmy-nominated actor and award-winning filmmaker“Clever, sexy, and compulsively readable, A Friend in the Dark is a pulse-pounding thriller with one jaw-dropping twist after another. Samantha M. Bailey has created a compelling cast of characters, a dark and layered mystery, and an insightful look at marriage, motherhood, and female identity.” —Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Drowning Woman“Savage secrets and desires collide in Samantha M. Bailey’s A Friend in the Dark. Bailey is a master of misdirection, spinning twists and building tension until there’s nothing to do but race to the knockout finish. A Friend in the Dark is a fierce, gutsy thriller, and Bailey is unstoppable.” —Tessa Wegert, author of The Kind to Kill“Samantha M. Bailey’s A Friend in the Dark simmers with palpable desire and twists that’ll have readers gasping. Just when you think you know the direction of her story, you get knocked sideways with twist after jaw-dropping twist. This is a must-read for any thriller lover!” —Heather Levy, Anthony-nominated author of Walking Through Needles“Sexy, fast-paced, and deliciously twisty, A Friend in the Dark is Samantha M. Bailey at her suspenseful best. An unpredictable thrill ride that packs an emotional wallop, readers will be hard pressed to stop turning pages until they reach the spine-tingling conclusion. A compelling, addictive must-read.” —Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, bestselling author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here“This sexy, heart-pounding thriller is everything a reader craves. Brilliant plotting and misdirection and mind games will have you flipping pages at warp speed. With twists and turns galore throughout, this is a one-sit read that will leave you shocked. A compelling look at fantasy versus reality, A Friend in the Dark is sure to stand out as a fan favorite of 2024.” —Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of I Didn’t Do ItWatch Out for Her“Yet again, one of our most beloved thriller writers brings us a story with the heart of a family drama and the pulse of an edge-of-your-seat spine-chiller. Filled with foreboding from the very first page, this one will keep you up all night—and have you checking the locks!” —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky“Shows that Bailey is no one-book-wonder. It’s as tightly plotted and skillfully written as her first, with a great backstory to carry it off…Bailey builds the suspense here with excellent pacing and clues that drop at exactly the right time. This is a great book to take on that summer holiday or the cottage weekend when all you have to do is chill, eat, and read.” —The Globe and Mail“Bailey is a strong writer who keeps the reader turning pages…A cautionary tale about the fine line between diligence and obsession and the dangers of doing the wrong things for what we believe are the right reasons.” —Toronto Star“A cleverly written, twisty, and brilliantly creepy thriller. With compelling characters intertwined with obsession, lies, simmering menace, and secrets at its heart, this is a page-turner which drew me in and kept me hooked. A real must-read!” —Karen Hamilton, internationally bestselling author of The Perfect Girlfriend“A tense and claustrophobic thriller in which Bailey makes you question whether the heart of a family is a place of safety or danger. Paranoia, obsession, and secrets ensure a twisty read.” —Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew“Creepy, surprising, and relentlessly tense, Watch Out for Her is so much more than a thriller; it’s an unflinching exploration of the roles we allow women to fill. With dark secrets and cliffhangers galore, this thrill ride will keep you up long past your bedtime. I couldn’t put it down.” —Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick We Were Never Here“A hair-raising, suspenseful page-turner [that] will have one watching their back wherever they go, but what really gets to the novel’s heart is the unexpected and chilling ending…The narrative is so well written and joined together it flows effortlessly.” —The New York Journal of Books“Samantha M. Bailey’s latest thriller is as propulsive as her sizzling debut. Two troubled women enter into a complex relationship that could shatter not only their lives but the lives of everyone they touch. A page-turner in the most literal sense of the word, I could not put this book down until the final shocking twist.” —Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Perfect Family“An irresistible story about what happens when we take our obsessions too far. Propulsive, electrifying, and sinister, I could not tear myself away from the narrators, two women each hiding dark secrets from their families. Bailey’s assured prose delivers as enthralling a tale as her stellar debut.” —Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of This Might Hurt and Darling Rose Gold“Addictive and relentlessly twisty…Nobody else writes a propulsive, family-centered mystery quite like this: Bailey is queen of the domestic thriller for a reason. Watch Out for Her masterfully deals with the shifting power of obsession, and the secrets we keep from our loved ones…and ourselves.” —Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, bestselling author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here“A compulsive and chilling exploration of trust, obsession, and voyeurism, Samantha M. Bailey knocks it out of the park with this intricately plotted domestic thriller. With dark secrets and surprising twists, this one’s sure to be a new favorite!” —Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Do No Harm“Wow! Relentlessly tense and incredibly twisty—Watch Out for Her proves the amazing Samantha M. Bailey is the queen of family suspense. With authentic emotion and complex and heartbreaking relationships, Bailey shows her brilliance in revealing the destructive power of love and the intensity of the need to belong. I flew through the cinematic pages, riveted and completely immersed in this propulsive and original thriller. Everyone will be talking about this—do not miss it!” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life“An addictive read from start to finish, Samantha M. Bailey’s talent and skill are on full display in this well-crafted domestic thriller. Watch Out for Her will have you second-guessing everyone you meet and rooting for characters you don’t trust—and there is nothing more fun than that. Absolutely riveting.” —Jennifer Hillier, bestselling author of Little Secrets and the award-winning Jar of Hearts“This insanely addictive, utterly propulsive, and unbelievably tense thriller will consume you. With intoxicating, scalpel-sharp prose and gasp-worthy twists, Bailey has crafted a fresh and deeply unsettling take on obsession and voyeurism. Reading Watch Out for Her is like pulling a pin from a hand grenade and waiting for it to detonate. This is destined to become the most talked about, explosive thriller of the year.” —May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives“A deep dive into a world of secrets, where no one is who you think they are, and everyone has something to hide. Bailey’s deft hand at ratcheting tension makes this an exquisite read. It will suck you in and you’ll love every moment of it!” —Amina Akhtar, author of KismetWoman on the Edge“A debut that’s tough to resist.” —Toronto Star“A remarkable thriller.” —Morning Live“One woman’s struggles with motherhood and another’s desperate desire to be a mother collide in this explosive debut. Woman on the Edge is a white-knuckle read that welcomes a bright new talent to the world of psychological suspense.” —Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl“This is the page-turner you’ve been looking for! Bailey’s writing is gripping and emotionally resonant at once, and her debut novel, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Kimberley Belle, will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final sentence.” —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky“A fast-paced, twisty roller-coaster ride in which a desperate widow, a guilt-ridden new mother, and the secrets of the past collide—with a baby’s life hanging in the balance…I couldn’t race to the end quickly enough! An exciting, binge-worthy debut.” —Kristin Harmel, bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife and The Room on Rue Amélie“Begins with a bang and takes the reader on a tense, emotional journey of love, betrayal, and loss and straight into the heart of a mother willing to do anything to protect her child. Infused with riveting, hold-your-breath suspense, this masterful debut needs to be your next binge read. A knockout page-turner.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Before She Was Found“Exhilarating and evocative…Woman on the Edge had me gripped. This book effortlessly ticks all the boxes: wonderful world-building, realistic characters, and a gripping plot that made me keep flipping the pages. It’s about obsession and madness, motherhood and trauma. This is a debut you’ll want to slip straight to the top of your to-read pile!” —Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell“With the narrative acceleration of a runaway train, Woman on the Edge kept me at the edge of my seat for its entire zigzagging ride; I had to remind myself to breathe. Bailey’s confident prose and dark satire enrich the ingenious plot, and her authentic characters—whether damaged, yearning, or downright diabolical—make this compulsory reading for fans of suspense. An exceptional debut!” —Sonja Yoerg, Washington Post bestselling author of True Places