Darden State is taking its toll on Trey Campbell, a psychiatrist who treats the insane. His dreams are filled with the sight of their dead eyes, by the sound of their anguished screams. He is haunted by images of blood-stained uniforms, broken bodies, and broken minds. The stench of madness has clung to him every night for fourteen years. Trey Campbell needs to get away.

You shouldn't have left me alone..."

Between the jagged cliffs of San Pedro and the crystal blue waters off Catalina Island there is nothing but peace and isolation. For Trey, his wife, and their two children, it is just the sanctuary they need. For two weeks, life will be good. Better than good. And the best part is no one will be able to find them...

I will not be ignored...

Once, Agnes Hatcher was a suburban school teacher, a member of the Junior League and a subscriber to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also has a fondness for knives that earned her the nickname, the Surgeon. Today she is the most brilliant and brutal psychopath at Darden State. In her twisted fantasy life she shares an unbreakable karma with the man she believes to be her devoted lover. But this weekend Trey has abandoned her. And Agnes is feeling very unforgiving.

I'm coming for you!

Now darkness has fallen on the Campbells' isolated vacation retreat. A diabolical game of wits is about to begin. Because what Agnes has planned for Trey and his family is beyond anything any of them can imagine...

From the quiet menace of its opening pages to its stunning, nerve-shattering conclusion, Bad Karma is a novel that rivals those of Jonathan Kellerman and Dean Koontz for sheer terror and suspense. A story in the chilling tradition of Fatal Attraction and Cape Fear, Bad Karma. That will linger long after you've triple-bolted your doors and turned out the lights.

From Doug:

I confess; I am Andrew Harper. It's a pseudonym.

This one I wrote in fast and furious mode -- and just had fun with it. I did some research of psych hospitals for the criminally insane, and I dreamed up what I considered a pretty scary reincarnation story for a relentless woman who is compelled to pursue the man she loves.

Bad Karma was turned into the movie released in the U.S. as Hell's Gate -- it's a cringingly bad mess of a horror thriller, but Patsy Kensit shines in it.

Take a mental hospital, a weary psychiatrist suffering from nightmares he doesn't understand, and a killer as chilling as they come, and you've got a sleek, smooth, and constantly surprising page-turner. Reminds me of a very hip Robert Bloch. Some exceptionally nice work here. —Ed Gorman

A powerful thriller, at once riveting and horrifying. Terrific. —James Neal Harvey ~ Author of Flesh and Blood

A taut, chilling and altogether haunting debut. — Greg Dinallo ~ Author of Final Answers

Harper is a writer who knows how to build and hold suspense. A thriller that grabs and persists like a nightmare. Quite a ride. -John Lutz ~ Edgar Award-winning author of SWF Seeks Same and The Ex

Read an excerpt from BAD KARMA.