The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper
Michelle Gagnon

From the moment sixteen-year-old Madison Grant is abducted, an unthinkable terrorist plot is set in motion–pitting Special Agent Kelly Jones against her most powerful adversary yet.The kidnapper's ransom demands aren't monetary…they come at a cost that no American can afford to pay. As Kelly's fiancé, Jake Riley, races to find Madison, Kelly is assigned to another disturbing case: the murder and dismemberment of a senator. At first the two cases don't appear to be related.But as Kelly navigates her way through the darkest communities of America–from skinheads to biker gangs to border militias–she discovers a horrible truth. A shadowy figure who calls himself The Gatekeeper is uniting hate groups, opening the door to the worst homegrown attack in American history.

Praise for

MICHELLE GAGNON

“Boneyard is a winner!

A compelling page-turner that pays due attention to the human heart. It’ll keep you up all night.”

—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

“A stellar work of mounting suspense and terror. Ritual murder, ancient magic and buried secrets all blend seamlessly in this debut mystery by a major new talent. Not to be missed!”

—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author,

on The Tunnels

“I defy anyone to read the first chapter of Boneyard and put the book down. With a cast of deftly drawn characters and a beautifully resonant setting, Boneyard is pure reading pleasure-creepy, terrifying and utterly believable. I recommend it with great enthusiasm.”

—Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author

“The Tunnels starts out scary and only gets worse, or—if you like frightening thrillers—better. Michelle Gagnon is a fresh and confident new voice in crime fiction. An auspicious debut.”

—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author

“Gagnon’s plot is fast-paced, appropriately detailed in its forensic depictions, and reveals an attention to authentic FBI detection procedures that lets the reader know that the author has done her homework…an engaging and quick read.”

—Library Journal on Boneyard

“Michelle Gagnon’s stellar debut is an edge-of-your-seat story of suspense and intrigue. With a deftly crafted plot and a winning protagonist, Gagnon spins a fast-moving yarn that is certain to keep you up late. We will hear more from this talented newcomer. Highly recommended.”

—Sheldon Siegel, New York Times bestselling author,

on The Tunnels

“Michelle Gagnon has written a tremendously fine debut novel that’s as dark, twisty, and thrilling as the tunnels she so hauntingly describes therein. Expect to sleep with the lights on for at least a week after you’ve relished the final page.”

—Cornelia Read, author of The Crazy School,

on The Tunnels

“A great read. Scarily good. The Tunnels takes you into some very dark places, as a bright new talent takes on old-world horrors and scares the living daylights out of you. It’s The Wicker Man meets Silence of the Lambs.”

—Tony Broadbent, author of The Smoke

and Spectres in the Smoke

“A fast-paced novel that taps into primal fears as it unfolds in real tunnels as well as in the labyrinth of the human mind. Things go down fast, decisions have to be made, and Michelle Gagnon has written characters who are up to it. Don’t read this one when you’re alone in the house.”

—Kirk Russell, author of Deadgame, on The Tunnels

MICHELLE GAGNON

THE GATEKEEPER

For Kate

“Invictus”

(Unconquered)

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.

—William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)

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