The Perfect Sanctuary
On a remote island where neighbors keep deadly secrets, a mother's search for her missing friend reveals a community that no one ever leaves.
Finley thought the gated island compound off Florida's Gulf Coast would be the perfect fresh start for her and her daughter, Campbell. Private. Secure. Safe.
She was wrong.
When Finley befriends Rose, another mother in their exclusive neighborhood, it seems like she's finally found someone she can trust. But Rose grows paranoid, skittish, and defiant of the community's strict rules. Then one morning, Rose vanishes without a trace.
Rose's husband offers evasive answers. Her terrified daughter won't speak. And the other residents? They dismiss Finley's concerns with cold smiles and warnings to mind her own business.
Then Finley receives an invitation from the HOA that chills her to the bone.
The compound's ordinances aren't just strict―they're enforced. And only one thing is certain: Rose broke a rule―one that wasn't meant to be broken―and someone made sure she paid the price.
Now Finley realizes the terrifying truth: this isn't just a neighborhood with secrets.
It's a trap.
And she may have just become the next victim.
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Ava Roberts
Ava Roberts is a clinical psychologist turned author who knows that the most unsettling things often lurk just beneath the surface. She is the author of The Vanishing Neighbor, Juniper Isle, the Thistler Thrillers series, and The Summer House Murder (2026). Kirkus Reviews called The Summer House Murder “a whirlwind domestic thriller that’s also a pitiless anatomy of the costs of motherhood and sisterhood.”Her books are published by Severn River Publishing and Crooked Lane Books.She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and an overactive imagination.
Thistler Thrillers
Thistler Thrillers consists of four books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
