Hidden Strings

When cases arrive gift-wrapped with a killer attached, Rachel knows the real investigation is just beginning.

Detective Rachel Ryder's latest homicide is disturbingly clean. The evidence points to one suspect. The arrest is swift. The media praise is immediate.

But when Rachel notices the same unnatural precision in other cases—witnesses who answer before they're questioned, evidence that feels curated rather than discovered—she realizes someone is feeding law enforcement partial truths, steering investigations toward predetermined outcomes.

The moment Rachel starts asking questions, the trap springs. Her cases are pulled for review. Her judgment questioned. Her career quietly dismantled. And the killer? They’ve been watching her the whole time, waiting for her to figure it out. Now Rachel has to outmaneuver someone who controls the one thing she's always relied on—the evidence itself.

Sharp, suffocating, and impossible to trust—for readers who love a thriller where the truth is always one step out of reach. Perfect for fans of Tana French and Michael Connelly.

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Praise for Carolyn Ridder Aspenson and the Rachel Ryder series:

"Detective Rachel Ryder is smart, tough, and fearless—readers will gladly follow her through every twist.” —LynDee Walker, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Fear No Truth

"Tight writing, unexpected twists, and the tough but vulnerable lead Detective Rachel Ryder will leave you eager to read the next book..." —Susan Hunter, author of Dangerous Habits

"Rachel Ryder is a new heroine on the suspense scene that you’ll want to engage with again and again." —Kimberly Charleston, Books Uplift