When She Left - by E a Aymar (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A young couple fleeing a criminal family confronts a reluctant assassin in this heart-pounding thriller from E.A. Aymar.

When Melissa Cruz falls hard for a dreamy-eyed photographer named Jake, she can't resist the urge to run away with him. The problem is that she already has a boyfriend, a rising star in his family's crime organization. Betrayed and humiliated, Chris isn't going to just let her go.

To find Melissa, Chris turns to Lucky Wilson, one of his family's professional assassins. But Lucky has his own problems. After years of lying about his day job, his marriage is in shambles and he suffers from relentless panic attacks. He'll do this job if Chris will let him out of the killing life.

Lucky knows this is his best chance at salvaging the home life he always craved. But Melissa and Jake aren't going to abandon their chance at something real--something they've both been lacking in their lives. But they aren't the only ones desperate to survive, and a powerful criminal family isn't the only danger.

And soon, it's clear that an unlikely partnership might be the only way for any of them to make it out alive...

Review Quotes

Praise for When She Left

"Aymar's third book is instantly cinematic, opening with a skittish pair seated in a diner and quickly catapulting into a series of frantic chases and narrow escapes... This would appeal to fans of Elmore Leonard's and Jeff Lindsay's books and the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs, with high-stakes violence tempered by humor and disarmingly sympathetic antiheroes." --Booklist

"When She Left keeps you guessing with breakneck pacing and unexpected twists, but what truly stands out are the characters: quirky and flawed but endearing as hell. But be warned: in an E. A. Aymar novel, no character is safe. Ever." --Alma Katsu, award-winning author of The Hunger and Red Widow

"E. A. Aymar is an exceptional talent. You'll be riveted by his uniquely realized characters, immersed in his high-intensity plot, and blown away by the poetry in his voice. At once a harrowing story of power, escape, and raw courage and a heartbreaking tale of family, love, and necessity, When She Left reveals the soul-crushing desperation of facing mortal danger while attempting to undo the past. Superb, thought provoking, and propulsive and, in the end, touchingly redemptive." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest

"What a churning cauldron of intrigue and human complication. Love, loathing, and lies abound. A real page-turner. Aymar bats a thousand with When She Left! This one will stick with you." --Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines and Detective Harriet Foster series and winner of the 2020 and 2022 Sue Grafton Memorial Award

"An action-packed story with well-drawn characters that will make you laugh, gasp, and keep turning the pages." --Cate Holahan, USA Today bestselling author of The Darkness of Others

"When She Left is perfect for fans of Elmore Leonard. It's darkly funny and packed full of richly drawn characters and gasp-out-loud twists, and the writing is gorgeous. Get your copy now." --Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Ones

"Cliff-hangers and plot twists abound in this intriguing page-turner. From a nail-biter of an opening scene, E. A. Aymar deftly propels the unconventional cast along an adrenaline-jolting narrative to a gratifying finale. This is crime fiction at its finest, a seamless fusion of character study with mystery/thriller. Don't miss it!" --Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author of Windfall

"Aymar is at the top of his game in this bold, high-stakes thriller where no character is safe. It's excellently written, thought provoking, intense, and gripping, with enough shocking twists and turns to keep you fully immersed until its stunning end. Don't miss this one!" --Lisa Regan, USA Today bestselling author

Praise for No Home for Killers

"This is a bold, relentless, breathtaking thriller from start to finish. E. A. Aymar writes about complex, damaged characters with incredible grace, anchoring the heart of this book in family conflict and trauma. Taut and twisty, with intense pacing and perfect plotting, No Home for Killers is a remarkable read. I absolutely loved it." --Hilary Davidson, bestselling author of Her Last Breath

"Tough, haunting, full of surprises and vivid characters, No Home for Killers is hard boiled and thoughtful, riven with pain and spiked with humor, and never less than a pedal-to-the-floor thriller. A gripping read." --Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-winning author of the UNSUB series

"Aymar skillfully blurs the line between justice and vengeance in a gripping tale of crime and its consequences. His masterfully drawn characters are at times both relatable and brutal as the tension builds through each shocking turn until the final twist, which will haunt you long after the book is closed." --Isabella Maldonado, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Cipher

"E. A. Aymar's No Home for Killers is a breathtakingly paced thriller--a character-driven journey of rage and justice that will leave you pondering the subtleties between good and evil and right and wrong. Violent yet sensitive, Aymar's command of the noir thriller is on full display here in what is absolutely his best book yet." --Jennifer Hillier, USA Today bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark and Little Secrets

"This book is a delight from start to finish--by turns funny, poignant, and action packed. Twists and turns keep us guessing the whole way. E. A. Aymar is a master storyteller, delivering fascinating characters in a realistic setting. Make a home on your shelves for this one!" --Eliza Nellums, author of The Bone Cay and All That's Bright and Gone

"I had so much fun reading No Home for Killers. It's an action-packed thriller filled with characters you root for and bad guys you love seeing go down. I couldn't stop turning the pages. One of the best books I've read this year!" --Matthew Farrell, bestselling author of We Have Your Daughter