THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BAKER & TATE SERIES RETURNS WITH A KILLER SERIAL KILLER SERIES!

A drone captures footage of a body in pieces. A killer copying murders the system was supposed to bury. And an FBI agent who realizes the real monster isn't the man holding the knife — it's the institution that handed him the blueprint.

When a woman testing her new drone over rural Maryland captures aerial footage of a bisected corpse in a remote ravine, FBI Special Agent Katie Ford and her veteran partner Nina Shaw are sent to investigate what appears to be an isolated killing in a town that doesn't want outsiders. But Katie recognizes something the local sheriff missed: the body has been staged to replicate the Cleveland Torso Murders of the 1930s — a case no one solved because an entire city looked the other way.

Within days, a second victim surfaces, posed to mirror the Villisca Axe Murders of 1912 — a massacre bungled by corrupt local officials. Then a third, hanged from a sycamore tree like the staged suicides of the Osage Reign of Terror, when oil money bought silence and complicity kept killers free. Each crime scene is a meticulous recreation of a historical atrocity where power or indifference shielded the real killer. And each victim is connected by a detail that hasn't been made public — a detail only someone with access to sealed federal case files could know.

As Katie builds a profile of a killer obsessed with institutional failure, she is drawn into a world of true-crime podcasts, obsessive fans, and a false confession that nearly derails the investigation. But the real predator is closer than anyone suspects — a man who vanished as a boy, lived inside the walls of strangers' homes, and has spent thirty years waiting for someone smart enough to read his message.

With Nina on her final case before retirement and the fugitive Tobias Campbell still lurking in the shadows, Katie must untangle a web of sealed records, forgotten murders, and one man's lifelong crusade to prove that the justice system doesn't just fail — it protects the worst among us. And his final act will force Katie to choose between the badge she carries and the truth it was built to hide.

Because the Stalker isn't finished teaching. And his last lesson is personal.

STALKER is a dark, pulse-pounding FBI thriller set in the insular backroads of rural Maryland — a story of systemic rot, buried history, and the monsters the world creates when it chooses to look away. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, and Robert Dugoni.

Readers love Sam Baron’s unputdownable mystery thrillers!

“The very epitome of page-turner with a chilling storyline that grips from the first and kept me guessing right up to the heart-racing denouement… STUNNER.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I devoured this book in 1 day! A suspenseful thriller with plenty of twists.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Captivating and nail-biting… literally gave me the chills… full of twists and turns… you are always left guessing… story was gripping and gut wrenching. An amazing protagonist! … I am hooked and can't wait for the next one! Must read!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Consumed me, transporting me to a realm of pulse-pounding suspense that lingered long after I finished reading… be prepared to sleep with the lights on...” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Kept me guessing to the end.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Fast and intense.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A pulse-pounding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat… Fans of Robert Dugoni, Gregg Olsen, and Lisa Regan will be riveted by this electrifying novel that delivers twists, turns, and heart-stopping suspense at every corner.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐