Detective Maria Miller

Roses and vines run delicately across her skin, snaking from her chest to the top of her thigh. On any other day the tattoo would look beautiful. But this was her last... When Detective Maria Miller walks up creaking stairs into the attic of the old brownstone she senses this isn't an ordinary crime scene. The brutality of the murder is enough to shock even an experienced detective like Maria. But there's something else. An unsettling presence seems to lurk in the shadows sending a chill through Maria's bones, making her desperate to run back down the stairs and never return... The killing is identical to the murder of an actress sixty years before, a crime that tore a family apart and sent shockwaves through New York City. In both cases, a satanic ritual was performed. Body parts were taken from the victims and never found. Has the killer returned all these years later? Is there a copycat? Maria won't let fear stop her from finding answers. Even when her relentless pursuit of the truth brings evil to her own door...

She moves her flashlight around the dark, empty ward. How could her friends have left her alone in a place like this? But she isn't really alone. Someone is watching. And he won't let her leave this place alive… Shortly before midnight, four teenagers broke into the old abandoned psychiatric hospital on Beacon Hill. Only three came out again. The missing girl – Riley Holt – is the seventeen-year-old daughter of the local police chief and she appears to have vanished into thin air. Called from Manhattan to take over the case, Detective Maria Miller and her partner Frankie Conroy uncover the sinister past of the abandoned hospital, which was once the hiding place of the notorious College Kid Killer, who never revealed the burial site of his final victim. Then a fresh grave is discovered in the hospital's old cemetery and Maria expects the worst. But when the remains of two young women are recovered, it appears that neither belongs to Riley. Maria and her team make the connection between the secret grave and the College Kid Killer, but with Riley still missing and her three friends unable to shed any light on her whereabouts, the case gets more complex by the minute. Maria must delve into the hospital's tragic past – and into the girl's own family history – to work out what happened to Riley Holt. While the girl's father acts the part of the distraught parent, Maria's instincts tell her that something isn't right. And the elderly former caretaker of the hospital seems to know more than he's letting on. As she comes close to the terrifying truth, eyes follow Maria's every move. She's about to put her own life on the line but can she find Riley before it's too late? Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Mary Stone and A. J. Rivers, this chilling second instalment in the Detective Maria Miller series from the bestselling author Helen Phifer will have you sleeping with the lights on. Read what everyone is saying about the Detective Maria Miller series: "Omg what can I say... I devoured this book in one sitting... I had goosebumps on my goosebumps. Cancel everything and tuck into this fantastic, must read crime thriller." Reader review {5 Stars} "Really wish that I could give more than five stars as this was so amazing." Reader review {5 Stars} "Wow... what a book. I could not put it down." Reader review {5 Stars} "Edge-of-the-seat, unputdownable and brilliantly terrifying." Reader review {5 Stars} "I flew through the pages of this book! It has everything." Reader review {5 Stars} "Thrilling and captivating... a must-read."Reader review {5 Stars} "Addictive... I loved every moment." Reader review {5 Stars} "Absolutely fantastic, I loved everything about it. I sat and read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down." Reader review {5 Stars} "An exceptional read, very spooky in time for Halloween!" Reader review {5 Stars} "The perfect spooky mystery that kept me up all night!" Reader review {5 Stars}

A light flickers in the silent room. Side by side in twin beds, the girls could be sleeping, except their pale skin is ice cold, and their closed eyes will never open again… When the bodies of two teenage girls are discovered in a rundown New York City hotel room, Detective Maria Miller is called to the crime scene. The best friends were supposed to be at a sleepover miles away in the suburbs. With no record of the girls checking in and the room on the thirteenth floor closed off to guests, what were they doing there? Sinister messages on their phones suggest the girls were lured to the hotel, using its reputation for hauntings as bait. The killer left no DNA behind and Maria's efforts to trace their identity leads to a dead end. But Maria feels certain the murderer works at the hotel. How else did they access the room and know it was empty? While Maria races to interview staff before another body turns up, the hotel manager shares an old newspaper article about an identical double murder decades before. Could the cases be linked? After a key suspect is found dead in his home, a discovery in the hotel room sends shivers down Maria's spine. Can she uncover the secrets of the room on the thirteenth floor before she becomes its next victim? Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Mary Stone and A. J. Rivers, The Girls on Floor 13 will have you racing through the pages and sleeping with the lights on. What readers are saying about the Detective Maria Miller series: 'SO. DANG. GOOD… I can't express enough how this was one of THE best crime/supernatural mystery books I have EVER read!' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'I LOVED IT! Thank you for the thrills, you have got a faithful reader in me, now. Sign me up for the next instalment!' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'The whole story had me turning the pages so fast I'm sure I let off steam… amazingly atmospheric, spooky, creepy and massively unputdownable… my god this just blew me away. I cannot recommend highly enough.' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'O.M.G what a book!! This has to be one of the best books I have read. Highly recommend. What you waiting for?????' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'Seldom have I read as successful a combination of a detective novel and a paranormal mystery! Suspense, mystery, likeable and authentic characters… there's no wondering why I am hooked!' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'This had me so immersed in the story that the rest of the world just did not exist… This book gave me anxiety in the best way possible and I found myself holding my breath unintentionally on more than one occasion… it was truly a great book and easily in my top 5 reads of 2023!!!' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'I've been lucky to read a lot of great books but never have I come across one that makes me immediately want to drop everything and read more of the author! This is that book.' Reader review, {5 Stars} 'I did not expect to love it this much! It has everything. Sign me up for more of these!' Reader review, {5 Stars}