You Always Come Back - by Emily Smith (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In the vein of Kathleen Barber and Julia Heaberlin comes an electrifying debut suspense that pits the inhabitants of a small town against each other.

Nine years ago, July Weaver's little sister was one of the first victims of the Pacific Lake Killer, a serial killer in Georgia. When other girls began to disappear and were found dead, it was July's testimony that put her own father into prison for the crimes. After the sentencing, she fled to Nashville to focus on her music career and to try to forget the horrible past. But when her brother tries to kill himself, July is forced to come back home and reunite with her four remaining siblings.

What she isn't expecting is to uncover new evidence that makes her question everything that happened to her sister nine years ago. Is it possible that July blamed the wrong person? Is it possible that the Pacific Lake Killer is still out there? As the linchpin to the case against her father--and the reason the Pacific Lake Killer case is closed--July knows it isn't long before the killer will set their eyes back on her.

If they're really still out there.

Review Quotes

Praise for You Always Come Back
"Fantastic and hard to put down."
--Portland Book Review, 5-star review

"A great psychological thriller that hits all the right notes. Strong writing, and great characters make this a good fall novel."
--Red Carpet Crash

"Emily Smith's psychological thriller You Always Come Back is a tense, absorbing, heartbreaking, and absolutely unputdownable debut; a masterful portrait of what may well be the ultimate dysfunctional family. Smith's quirky yet realistic characters along with her gorgeous prose grabbed me from the first page, while her expert plotting and her unique take on the challenges of escaping a less-than-perfect childhood kept me enthralled until the very end. Highly recommended!"
―Karen Dionne, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister

"Emily Smith's You Always Come Back is one of those very rare debuts that forces you to lean over and read every single word. A family drama in the ranks of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, Smith's story follows July Weaver's reluctant return to her family home after vowing never to do so. And who would blame her? The Weaver family has a sordid and heartbreaking past, culminating with the patriarch in prison for a series of murders. Smith's writing is sublime and, in July Weaver, she pens a fierce, vulnerable, and flawed protagonist who ranks amongst the most memorable in modern-day thrillers. This is a story that will stay with me for some time."
--Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author of Mister Tender's Girl

"Strong character-driven novel from a writer with a deliciously strong, unique voice. One of the most satisfying reads I've had in a good while."
--Alex Marwood, award-winning author of The Killer Next Door

"Stunning and accomplished, You Always Come Back is the serial killer story we'd all love to write. Following July and her perfectly-drawn, dysfunctional family, it weaves a tale of trauma and doubt as it crosses between present day and the awful events all those years ago. Compelling and heartbreaking and more than a little bit horrific, I read it breathlessly for the final, desperate conclusion."
--Sam Holland, author of The Echo Man

About the Author

Emily Smith is a New Jersey native, who pursued her BFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU and her MFA in Creative Writing at American University. In her spare time, she enjoys writing novels, gardening, reading, and caring for her rambunctious Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.