Only the Dead Within

By Lisa Childs

Book Overview

Between mysterious missing persons cases, unsolved murders, and the menacing specter of an eternally blood-thirsty grave digger s ghost, the town of Gold Creek, Michigan, has a grim reputation, and so does the wealthy, ruthless Gold family, who run the local funeral home and cemetery and may be behind it all . . . Six Feet Under meets Succession with a gothic twist in New York Times bestselling author Lisa Childs dark, twisty, horror-tinged series for readers of Megan Collins, Samantha Downing, Stacy Willingham, and Rachel Hawkins. Yet another teen has gone missing from the Gold Memorial Gardens, and Child Protective Services Investigator Claire Underwood isn't giving up until she finds him. For Claire, solving the case is more than business. Years ago, she lost a friend in that cemetery. Over time, the authorities deemed all the disappeared teens runaways, while local legend blamed the ghost of the murderous grave digger much to the satisfaction of the Golds, also known as the Ghouls. Claire has always suspected the Golds were involved, including in some recent murders among their own. She went to high school with Noah Gold. He was very quiet, and very intense. Like someone with something to hide. Noah is sick of being cast in the same light as his conniving, money-hungry family. He s still a bit anti-social, but he s just as determined as Clare to unearth the truth and finally bury the legend of the grave digger. With a common goal, he and Claire join forces, but it s a quest that puts them in mortal danger. Only with the help of the local sheriff whose own brother vanished years ago do they have a chance of surviving. Yet, the truth that awaits them is more terrifying than any ghost . . .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1496749014
• ISBN13: 9781496749017
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

The murders continue in Gold Creek!

Time to solve where more missing people/runaways have ended up! Things don't seem to slow down in Gold Creek as the will of Gregory Gold the first is still in probate and there is another body in the graveyard. You can definitely feel the creepy atmosphere in this tale of dark crimes, murder, and a possible supernatural suspect amid the regular human ones. I did like the new points of view of Claire and Noah so I was pretty sure I had some more people I could root for that were most likely not the serial killer, despite the job that Noah has as caretaker of the graveyard. I liked him quite a bit actually as I can attest to the loveliness of not being around others all the time. While trying to find out what happened to Tyler, I enjoyed the bigger search for all the missing teens over the years, from River's boyfriend to a friend of Claire's. There a whole bunch of suspects, some very disturbing people (not just the Gold family this time!), threats, murder attempts, and a twist for the killer that I did not expect but it worked. I for one never want to visit or live in Gold Creek, Michigan, but I am enjoying this series and can't wait to see what happens next for the Gold family and those that live near them. I foresee more murders and hopefully one day all the killers will be caught! I am glad I got the chance to continue this series and can't wait for the next one.