Where does evil come from? For the last ten years, Angela Thompson has been living a nightmare. While motherhood was never her goal, she has tried everything to connect with her son, Max. It was supposed to be two of them against the world until Max's behavior grew increasingly disturbing. The missing items, lost pets, and strange drawings she could handle but now, the murder of little Tommy Marshall has the entire town of Oregon, Ohio on edge.

Beaten with a large rock and left to die in the woods, the police search frantically for a sadistic child killer. Unfortunately, all of the evidence points to Angela as she begins to doubt everything and everyone around her. She swears that she would never hurt a child, but has her troubled son and loneliness pushed her too far? Her gut tells her that Max is involved, but authorities find it hard to believe that a ten-year-old boy could pull off the perfect murder and put his mother on death row. In fact, nobody believes her! But they don't know Max like she does. They don't know how sick and depraved her angelic little boy can be.

Unfortunately, everyone is about to find out the hard way.

Erika Strauss has made it her mission to create engaging stories that show the complexity of human experiences, emphasizing that there are always two sides to every story. Everyone has their own background and intentions?whether good, bad, or somewhere in between. Through her writing, Erika draws readers into the depths of both the broken and their victims, creating unforgettable tales that resonate deeply.

Residing in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, with her husband, three daughters, and her beloved rescue/emotional support dog, Baker, she passionately devotes her days to writing in her home office. When she's not working on her current project, she's always looking for fresh ways to spark her creativity and keep her ideas flowing.