
Cruel to Be Kind
A Bad Choices Novel
Joseph Souza(Author)
LEVEL BEST BOOKS (Publisher)
Published on 27. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
342 pages
979-8-89820-101-2 (ISBN)
Description
Gwynn's life fell apart the night Tom caught her in bed with Detective Peters-the lead investigator on a string of murders she secretly committed. Now Tom knows everything: that his wife is a serial killer, that she put Detective Janet Nguyen into a coma, and he holds all the evidence to prove it. And he enjoys the power it gives him. If Gwynn refuses to return to their toxic marriage, he's ready to turn her in.
As her world spirals, a new killer surfaces-one eerily mimicking the brutal methods of the Muddy River Killer, Gwynn's long-dead father. Young street girls are turning up dead by the river, just like before. When someone close to her is murdered, Gwynn breaks her vow to never kill again. She wants Ivy's murder avenged.
But Tom controls her every move. She can't act without his say-so.
Then Nguyen wakes up-and starts talking. Will she remember what Gwynn did? Will she expose her? And if Tom won't let go, will Gwynn have to kill him to finally be free?
All she wants is to raise her son in peace, far from Tom's darkness. But first, she has to bring justice for Ivy-before Peters does it for her.
More details
Language
English
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
556 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-89820-101-2 (9798898201012)
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Joseph Souza is the award-winning and bestselling author of ten novels and a book of short stories. He has degrees from Northeastern University and the University of Washington. He's won and been a finalist for the Maine Literary Award, winner of the Andres Dubus Award and was a runner-up for the Al Blanchard Award. He's worked as a teacher, cabbie, social worker, truck driver, editor, bouncer, barber, wrestling coach, paralegal and intelligence analyst in the DEA (Organized Crime Unit), to name just a few jobs. He lives in Maine with his wife and has two children.