Long Way Down: A Thriller

She thinks she's marrying the perfect man. But nothing is as it seems.

Perfect for fans of Rachel Hawkins and Darby Kane, this suspense-packed novel entangles readers in family lies and shocking secrets that will leave you breathless.

Deni Rydell believes her life is finally about to change for the better just as soon as she marries Cal Cooper Jr., heir to a massive California mining fortune.

When Cal and his parents perish in a plane crash, Deni's dreams are shattered. She's hoping to find solace with Cal's brother Grant, who only recently returned to the small town of Gold Hills after a year's stay in rehab. Too bad Grant is caught up trying to please Erika, the mysterious woman he brought home with him.

Meanwhile, Gold Hills detective Robyn Torres is assigned to investigate a vicious murder which she assumes to be a drug robbery that turned deadly. The deeper she digs, though, the clearer it is that she couldn't be further from the truth. Soon enough, Torres begins to uncover a series of disturbing family secrets and dark lies connected to the Cooper family that threaten to destroy everything Deni knew to be true.

Author: Lisa Kusel
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Published: 10/21/2025
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.60w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9798892423311

About the Author
Lisa Kusel is the author of the psychological thriller The Widow on Dwyer Court. Before publishing her first novel in 2002, Lisa created Microsoft's first online arts magazine, coordinated recycling for the EPA, and sold Maybelline cosmetics in Russia. Her other works include "Other Fish in the Sea," Hat Trick, and Rash, her memoir about living in Bali. She has an MA in anthropology from Brown University and has been a writing resident at Vermont Studio Center, the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, and Chateau de Orquevaux. When she's not volunteering with the local food shelf, meditating, or cooking, Lisa can be found wrangling words (as well as her crazy cat, Dave) at her desk overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Her next book, a murder mystery set in the foothills of northern California, will be released in 2025.