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Laurie Stevens

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The Dark Before Dawn (A Gabriel McRay Novel Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Laurie Stevens (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 327 ratings

Book 1 of 4: A Gabriel McRay Novel

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High in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles, grisly murders are taking place. On each of the victim's bodies a note is left for L.A. Sheriff's detective, Gabriel McRay. The killer's identity is locked in the suppressed memory of a horrifying trauma from Gabriel's own childhood.
Teamed with his forensic pathologist girlfriend and his psychiatrist, Gabriel runs two parallel investigations. The first: a dark journey into the terrifying recollections of his past and the second: the hunt for a serial killer who seems to know more about Gabriel... than he knows himself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Memorable characters, macabre scenes and a dazzling portrayal of reality will leave readers anxious for book two in the Gabriel McCray series." - Kirkus Review

About the Author

Laurie Stevens has written numerous stories and articles for local and national publications. She has written for television and co-wrote and produced the stage play, "Follow Your Dreams." This is the first novel in the Gabriel McRay detective series.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005FM2F38
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Follow Your Dreams Productions; 1st edition (June 24, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 633 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 379 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,748,428 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,903 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #3,018 in Mystery Series
- #3,057 in Medical Thrillers (Books)

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4.2 327 ratings

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Laurie Stevens

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Welcome to the world psychological suspense - the Gabriel McRay series. The novels have won twelve awards, among them Kirkus Reviews "Best of," a Random House Editor’s Book of the Month, the Amsterdam Book Festival, and more. My short stories have appeared in mystery anthologies (also here on Author Central), along with an anthology I co-edited. I'm an active member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. I'm an avid hiker, camper, and all around nature lover. Most of all, I like to read and write. hope you enjoy my work. Please let me know by leaving reviews!

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4.2 out of 5

327 global ratings

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SRMyers

A thrill ride

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2011

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The Dark Before Dawn is a fast-paced, exciting psychological thriller. Laurie Stevens does a masterful job of developing both the characters and the plot. The twists and turns which focus on the present as well as the past, weave a very interesting story in which the main character must battle his own demons from the past while trying to solve a series of brutal murders. As a new writer, I believe Ms. Stevens has written a novel which is even more thrilling than those of most of the more well-known authors of the genre. She puts a fresh, new perspective into the mix of books which generally tell the same old story. This is definitely not your typical psychological thriller. This is a must read novel. I look forward to reading any books Ms. Stevens publishes in the future. - Sheila Rae Myers, Author

7 people found this helpful

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Christine Terrell

An excellent read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2014

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I bought The Dark Before Dawn as my Goodreads book club was having a Q&A with the author, Ms. Laurie Stevens. This book was a pleasant surprise and an excellent initial offering by Ms. Stevens. I read it in 4 days, faster than my usual 7-10 days. There are numerous reasons why I enjoyed this book so much. The action began on the first couple of pages, drawing me in quickly. The characters are very well-developed, especially the protagonist, Gabriel McRay. McRay is a police sergeant who is multi-flawed and saddled with demons. I found myself really caring for and rooting hard for this guy. His psychiatrist, Dr. B., is a major player in the book. Ms. Stevens clearly did her research in describing the sessions between McRay and Dr. B. Unraveling the mystery of McRay's mental issues was every bit as intriguing as solving the case of the mass murders. In regards to the killer, his modus operandi was very interesting as well as unique. I also liked how Ms. Stevens periodically let us into the head of the perpetrator, just enough to whet the appetite without giving anything away. Relatively early on Ms. Stevens started the twists. And there were a lot of twists! Just when you think the case is wrapping up, it blows open again. Finally, there was a little sidelight of romance, which I liked. I loved this book and recommend it to all mystery/thriller readers. I have already purchased the 2nd book in the series; I believe there is a 3rd book which will be published soon.

3 people found this helpful

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Judy Schuler

Rang true

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014

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Gabriel McRay is a good detective struggling to solve a string of murders that are bringing back a past he's trying to forget. The problem is it's impossible to forget trauma like he endured and burying the memories just creates more problems. The mystery itself is good, although I did figure it out (I usually do), but the characters are compelling and real. This book rang so true it seemed the author must have known someone who experienced a trauma like Gabriel did. It's sad that things like that really do happen and cause lasting effects in the people involved. I sent this book to my son who suffered trauma similar to Gabriel's when he was 14 and is still suffering the effects. Hehad to quit reading a few times when it hit too close to home, but found the psychiatric insights helpful and liked the book very much. He wants to reads the next one in the series, too. Laurie Stevens has two new fans.

2 people found this helpful

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Book Eater

A great read? Really?

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2013

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I was surprised at the small number of reviews for this novel, and that the majority of the reviews were enthusiastic. I gave the book three stars for author effort. I think the author has great potential - but this effort wasn't exceptional. If you like dark, totally improbable mystery/suspense (romance?) story lines and characters; with a whole bunch of caustic/earthy dialogue and an "Adlerian" psychiatrist on board who explains the root causes of the protagonists issues for the reader all during the narration (so that neither the protagonist nor the readers have to figure those issues out for themselves) - then this book is your baby.

I admit that I'm not a hard core fan of this genre (serial killers MOs, torture, and brutal murders aren't my thing), but I have liked other well-delineated books that touched on these topics. This just wasn't one of them. I think I disliked it most because I never got close to the characters who were supposed to be the "good guys." I never imagined them as people I would like to sit down and have a cup of coffee or beer with, and discuss their jobs or their lives. And frankly, I found the story line too depressing, without having enough hope and redemption for balance. The Kirkus review folks let me down on this one (they have been doing that a lot lately), since the book received both a star and an inane review that thought readers would identify with the story because of its location, and get close to the lead character because of his flaws - not because of any redeeming characteristics he might have.

The author did her homework and, again, showed promise; but a baseball metaphor would be that the author gets credit for a solid base hit - albeit not yet hitting a home run.

4 people found this helpful

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William A. Schmitt

Well-written, very interesting, very good story, Absorbing, but...

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013

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A very good book. A page turner - Keeps you on the edge - I've read many books that I didn't want to end, because they were so well-written, exciting and interesting. However, after finishing this book, I understand now why authors end a story when the reader wishes it would continue. For me, this book continues on longer than it should. It was a very good story, and one I'm sure I would have wished to continue (had it not), but after a while it was too much, even for me.
But please do not reject it because of my opinion. Get it AND READ FOR YOURSELF. You certainly won't regret it.

One person found this helpful

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Avid Reader

One Surprise After Another

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2017

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This was a terrific mystery featuring a troubled detective who has hidden a devastating secret from himself. The mystery of Gabriel's psyche and of what he is doing during his unexplained blackouts is every bit as absorbing and psychologically riveting as his hunt for a brutal serial killer who leaves notes addressed to Gabriel at each crime scene. About half way through the novel I thought I knew who the killer was, and I was almost right. I identified the superficial character, but was unprepared for the clever and surprising twists involving the killer's identity and his duel with Gabriel. The characters are fascinating, well developed and the novel as a whole was one I couldn't put down. Can't wait to read the sequel.

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The Dark Before Dawn (A Gabriel McRay Novel Book 1) Kindle Edition

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Laurie Stevens

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