Silent Creek

The bestselling author of Just Stay Away and Pike Island returns with the pulse-pounding story of a prodigal son sorting friend from enemy in a small town trembling with secrets.

Jim McCann was a high school basketball star destined for the NBA. Then an injury shattered his knee and his dreams. Disillusioned, he cut ties with his stifling hometown.

Years later, he returns for his father's funeral. Finding that his mother has dementia, he reluctantly takes over the family propane business. But there's a silver lining: reconnecting with Kyle, his childhood best friend, and meeting Kelli, the only one who understands his struggle to fill his own big shoes.

There's a dark cloud too. Colton Reid, a troubled former classmate, still holds an old basketball grudge. And after Kyle convinces Jim to fire him, the disturbing incidents begin. Nothing too serious at first--until the stalking hits Jim where he lives, unleashing a cascade of grave revelations.

Now there's no denying things have gone too far. As the stakes spike, Jim learns what he'll do to protect himself, his loved ones, and the home that won't let him go.

Tony Wirt was born in Lake Mills, Iowa, and got his first taste of publication in the first grade, when his essay on Airplane II: The Sequel appeared in the Lake Mills Elementary School's Creative Courier. Since then, he has published three thrillers: Pike Island, Just Stay Away, and A Necessary Act. Silent Creek is his fourth novel.

Wirt graduated from the University of Iowa and spent nine years doing media relations for the Hawkeye Athletic Department. He's also worked as a sportswriter, a movie ticket taker, and a Dairy Queen ice-cream slinger who can still do the little curly thing on top of a soft-serve cone. He currently lives in Rochester, Minnesota, with his wife and two daughters.