Praise for Caitlin Rother

  Praise for Hooked, the first in the Katrina & Goode thriller series

  “Rother delivers a gripping expertly woven crime thriller from the first page. Hooked is a tense, multifaceted plot filled with murder, secrets, and a brilliantly plotted cover-up that keeps the pages flying.”

  —Audrey J. Cole, USA Today bestselling author of Missing in Flight

  “Smart, gritty, and intricately plotted, this addictive police procedural features unforgettable characters and a plot that cuts as deep as it twists. The chemistry between investigative reporter Katrina Chopin and homicide detective Ken Goode is electric . . . and the plot multilayered, delving into corruption and the many masks it hides behind. I was hooked from the start!”

  —Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author

  “Caitlin Rother sets the hook early and reels you in chapter by chapter in this fascinating murder mystery. Rother’s attention to detail and crime scene knowledge, which has made her the best true crime writer of our time, gives the novel a gritty sense of verisimilitude. Goode and Katrina are layered and complex characters who come together to make a formidable investigative team. I can’t wait to read about their next case!”

  —Matt Coyle, author of the bestselling Rick Cahill crime novels

  “Hooked had me hooked from the first chapter. Rother’s true crime fans will devour her new thriller. Sharp dialogue and fast-paced, Hooked is an excellent start to a new series. Can’t wait for the next one!”

  —Alana Albertson, #3 Amazon bestselling author of Badass

  Praise for Naked Addiction, the prequel to Hooked

  “With a journalist’s eye for the telling details of life, Caitlin Rother is a keen architect of the most important part of storytelling: character. The people in her prose grip you tightly with their truth.”

  —Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling crime novelist

  “Naked Addiction is a strong debut from a perceptive and unflinching writer. Detailed and tightly focused, the story unfolds on the sun-drenched but dangerous streets of San Diego.”

  —T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling crime novelist

  “Caitlin Rother walked the walk as an award-winning journalist, and now she talks the talk in her debut novel, Naked Addiction. Rother’s honed reportorial eye gives us the five W’s of murder set out on turf she knows so well. With a deft hand, Rother puts a bloody fingerprint on the picture-postcard setting of San Diego. The sun and surf are a gorgeous backdrop, but in Rother’s Naked Addiction, trouble in paradise abounds.”

  —Alan Russell, author of Political Suicide

  “Naked Addiction . . . is one of the most well-constructed murder mysteries that I have ever read in forty years of reading that genre. Rother’s years as an investigative reporter put her on the front line of crime, and she has used that experience to construct real and authentic characters and scenarios that are so factual that you feel you could be reading a newspaper account of a crime. The plot . . . is so complex and elaborate that you never suspect who the murderer is until Rother decides to let you know—at the end of the book. Rother’s debut into the fiction genre is impressive and has a long life ahead of it.”

  —Book Hunters

  Praise for Down to the Bone

  “Rother presents the riveting story of a botched investigation, multiple suspects, and a web of lies. Was justice ever served? The question will remain with you long after you finish reading.”

  —Diane Fanning, author of Written in Blood

  “If you love true crime books where the author goes far beyond what is already known, and raises questions that need to be asked, this is a book for you.”

  —Justin Brooks, founding director, California Innocence Project

  Praise for Death on Ocean Boulevard

  “The Rebecca Zahau case is one of the great crime mysteries of modern times. It took an author of Caitlin Rother’s caliber to bring it into sharp focus. A riveting read.”

  —Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Gripping. Propulsive. A tour de force of true crime storytelling. Rother is a rare talent, and Death on Ocean Boulevard an instant classic of the genre.”

  —Kevin Deutsch, author and host of A Dark Turn podcast

  “Caitlin Rother skillfully chronicles one of the most fascinating and controversial cases of the past decade. Big money, sex, and a questionable death makes for an addictive read.”

  —Kathryn Casey, author of In Plain Sight

  Praise for Poisoned Love

  “A true-crime thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This first-time author has done a brilliant job of captivating the inner workings of a female killer . . . someone who uses her cunning ways to commit murder.”

  —Aphrodite Jones, author of Cruel Sacrifice

  “Caitlin Rother, a seasoned reporter with integrity, class, and skill, weaves this complex story seamlessly, offering it up in the page-turning fashion of a suspenseful novel . . . An exciting debut from a tirelessly hardworking reporter.”

  —M. William Phelps, author of Obsessed

  Praise for Twisted Triangle

  “A harrowing tale of one woman’s struggle to maintain a balance between being a mother, an FBI agent, and dealing with a corrupt husband, also an FBI agent. A must read.”

  —Joseph D. Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco, author of The Way of the Wiseguy

  “Hitchcock wishes he’d dreamed it up. Capote wishes he’d written it. Rother’s mesmerizing narrative chronicles a wife’s heroic struggle against great odds to survive her psychopath husband’s elaborate scheme to make her murder the perfect crime. This spellbinding tale offers an added treat—it’s true.”

  —Marcus Stern, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and coauthor of The Wrong Stuff

  Praise for Body Parts

  “This kind of frightening and fascinating glimpse into a killer’s mind is rare, and an extremely intuitive Rother makes the most of it.”

  —Ron Franscell, New York Times bestselling author

  “Caitlin Rother is the model for serious crime journalism today. She’s bold, meticulous, and exhaustive, returning to cases with loose ends to update us on the latest innovations and developments.”

  —Katherine Ramsland, author of The Serial Killer’s Apprentice

  “The updated material in this new edition of Body Parts not only brings the story full circle by giving a name, face, and tragic backstory to the mystery that set the nightmare in motion, it adds another layer of depth. Caitlin Rother never lets the horrific nature of the crimes overshadow the humanity of the victims.”

  —Simon Read, author of Scotland Yard

  Praise for Dead Reckoning

  “Well researched and a quick, engrossing read, this should be popular with true crime readers, especially the Ann Rule crowd.”

  —Starred review in Library Journal

  “We’ve finally found the next Ann Rule! Caitlin Rother writes with heart and suspense. Dead Reckoning is a chilling read by a writer at the top of her game.”

  —Gregg Olsen

  “Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother is one of the best true crime books I have read in years. First, it’s one of those ‘too wild and crazy to have made up’ stories about the horrific murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks on their yacht Well Deserved off Catalina Island by Skylar Deleon, a con man, killer, and hermaphrodite, along with his wife Jennifer and three other accomplices. However, it took Rother’s investigative journalist’s tenacity and eye for detail and her knack for telling a good detective story that reads like a novel to set this book above most in the genre.”

  —Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author

  Praise for Lost Girls

  “Lost Girls, by veteran journalist and true-crime writer Caitlin Rother, is a deeply reported, dispassionately written attempt to determine what created that monster and predator. It is a cautionary tale and a horror story, done superbly by a writer who knows how to burrow into a complex case without becoming captive to her sources.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  “[Caitlin Rother] is one of the best storytellers going in the true crime genre today. Written with the verve, pacing, and characterizations of a detective novel, combined with her reporter’s eye for detail, Lost Girls should be on every true crime fan’s bookshelf.”

  —Steve Jackson

  Praise for I’ll Take Care of You

  “Rother has written another ‘ripped from the headlines’ page-turner. Journalistic and thorough, this title is sure to be popular. Purchase for public libraries with large true-crime collections.”

  —Library Journal

  “Riveting . . . a story that will haunt you . . . Rother presents a fascinating study of one woman’s evil and greed—that ultimately leads to the murder of a kind-hearted millionaire. The compassion the author shows for the victim and [his] . . . family makes this book an emotional, gripping tale.”

  —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author

  Praise for Then No One Can Have Her

  “I honestly could not stop reading Caitlin Rother’s Then No One Can Have Her. It’s riveting, revealing, and insightful . . . Her closing chapters, written in first person, made my eyes water. What a fabulous, fabulous book!”

  —Suzy Spencer, New York Times bestselling author

  “Prepare to be hooked by Rother’s absorbing narrative of greed, desperatio
n, and twisty relationships . . . Between lies, financial shenanigans, shady legal maneuverings, and divided families, this tale sounds like fiction, but it’s all true. And very dark.”

  —Katherine Ramsland

  Also by Caitlin Rother

  Poisoned Love (updated)

  Twisted Triangle (by Caitlin Rother with John Hess)

  Where Hope Begins/Deadly Devotion (by Alysia Sofios with Caitlin Rother)

  My Life, Deleted (by Scott and Joan Bolzan and Caitlin Rother)

  Lost Girls

  I’ll Take Care of You

  Then No One Can Have Her

  Hunting Charles Manson (by Lis Wiehl with Caitlin Rother)

  Naked Addiction

  Love Gone Wrong

  Secrets, Lies, and Shoelaces

  Dead Reckoning (updated)

  Death on Ocean Boulevard

  Body Parts (updated)

  Down to the Bone

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2026 by Caitlin Rother

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Thomas & Mercer, Seattle

  www.apub.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Thomas & Mercer are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  EU product safety contact:

  Amazon Media EU S. à r.l.

  38, avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg

  amazonpublishing-gpsr@amazon.com

  ISBN-13: 9781662532351 (paperback)

  ISBN-13: 9781662532344 (digital)

  Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant

  Cover image: © Philip Thurston, © Tom Grubbe, © lingqi xie / Getty

  Contents

  Start Reading

  Dopamine, noun: An . . .

  Prologue: Victoria

  Chapter 1: Goode

  Chapter 2: Goode

  Chapter 3: Katrina

  Chapter 4: Goode

  Chapter 5: Katrina

  Chapter 6: Goode

  Chapter 7: Goode

  Chapter 8: Katrina

  Chapter 9: Goode

  Chapter 10: Katrina

  Chapter 11: Goode

  Chapter 12: Katrina

  Chapter 13: Goode

  Chapter 14: Goode

  Chapter 15: Katrina

  Chapter 16: Goode

  Chapter 17: Katrina

  Chapter 18: Goode

  Chapter 19: Katrina

  Chapter 20: Goode

  Chapter 21: Katrina

  Chapter 22: Goode

  Chapter 23: Katrina

  Chapter 24: Goode

  Chapter 25: Katrina

  Chapter 26: Goode

  Chapter 27: Katrina

  Chapter 28: Goode

  Chapter 29: Katrina

  Chapter 30: Goode

  Chapter 31: Katrina

  Chapter 32: Goode

  Chapter 33: Katrina

  Chapter 34: Goode

  Chapter 35: Katrina

  Chapter 36: Goode

  Chapter 37: Katrina

  Chapter 38: Goode

  Chapter 39: Katrina

  Chapter 40: Goode

  Chapter 41: Katrina

  Chapter 42: Goode

  Chapter 43: Katrina

  Chapter 44: Goode

  Chapter 45: Katrina

  Chapter 46: Goode

  Chapter 47: Katrina

  Chapter 48: Goode

  Chapter 49: Goode

  Chapter 50: Katrina

  Chapter 51: Goode

  Chapter 52: Goode

  Chapter 53: Katrina

  Chapter 54: Katrina

  Chapter 55: Esperanza

  Chapter 56: Katrina

  Chapter 57: Esperanza

  Chapter 58: Katrina

  Chapter 59: Goode

  Chapter 60: Katrina

  Chapter 61: Goode

  Chapter 62: Goode

  Chapter 63: Goode

  Chapter 64: Goode

  Chapter 65: Goode

  Author’s Note and Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Hooked is set in 2015, as newspapers were starting to transition from print to online editions, but long before newsrooms were decimated by the resulting industry implosion and many were closed entirely due to COVID shutdowns. This was before “fake news” evolved into the misinformation and disinformation campaigns of today, when communities relied on the media to print the truth and to keep politicians honest, and on the police to keep us safe. When journalists were held to higher ethical standards and when people still believed in science and technology.

  Dopamine, noun: An organic chemical compound present in the body as a pleasure-seeking neurotransmitter that serves as a precursor to adrenaline. It can also cause feelings of infatuation, attraction, or sexual chemistry between two people in the initial stages of a relationship. Even the anticipation of rewarding activities, such as sex, can trigger its release. Ingesting stimulants, such as cocaine, triggers a dopamine rush, though subsequent doses must be larger to achieve the same high. THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, generates a smaller amount of dopamine, as does the use of social media. It’s this addictive response that keeps people repeatedly engaging with the stimuli, even as the rewards decrease. While a dopamine deficiency can cause symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease, such as shaking, stiffness, and loss of balance, an overload may result in hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, or mania.

  Prologue

  Victoria

  Halloween Friday

  Victoria Fontaine struggled to break through the brain fog, her body aching from a no-sleep hangover. Her head pounded, and her limbs felt like lead weights. Even her eyelids were too heavy to lift. But the struggle was worth it. She felt satiated. Content, even.

  She rolled over and reached out blindly, expecting to grab a handful of warm flesh next to her. Instead, her fingertips found only the folds of wrinkled sheets, where Alex Battrelle had kept her up most of the night with his hot, whispery breath. Rolling her over and around until she screamed as he brought her to climax. Not that she was complaining.

  As she pried her eyes open, the orange numbers on the clock read eight fifteen. She heard Alex’s motorcycle engine gun up the driveway to the locked gate, idling long enough for it to open. She imagined him smiling at the memory of rubbing her belly one last time before he left.

  She reached for the phone, which pinged on the bedside table with a sweet text from him. There had been an emotional connection between them ever since they’d met in rehab a lifetime ago, but Alex had always denied it. She’d waited so long to hear those words. It felt safe to be happy, for once.

  Best ever, babe. It only took 18 years. I’ll let u get some sleep. Love u. Feels good to say that. See u tonight???

  But then there it was. That bile rising up again, like a bullet train, same time every morning for the past week. Throwing off the covers, she then ran into her bathroom, where, in one fluid motion, she lifted the toilet seat, knelt on the mat, pulled her hair back, and threw up into the bowl. After flushing it down, she pushed herself to her feet and lowered her face over the sink to rinse with mouthwash.

  “God,” she said, “how long is this going to last?”

  She crawled back into bed and she closed her eyes again, reliving the feeling of Alex’s soft, wet lips on hers, his scratchy chin rubbing against the crook of her neck, and his hard, muscular ass in her hands, tight from all the mountain-bike riding he’d been doing in Ramona the past six months.

  He’s right. That was our best night ever. Everything is different now.

  Victoria wanted to see him again, but she couldn’t commit to another night of no sleep. At least not right now. Hopefully her stomach would settle later in the day.