Killing someone is a lot harder than you'd imagine. Physically harder, I mean. On TV a guy strangles someone for like five seconds and the body slumps to the ground in a heap of dead just like that. In real life, it takes so long you wouldn't believe it.

Jake saw something unspeakable when he was nine. An act of violence. Brutal. He doesn't know it, but this trauma will play a key role in shaping him later in life.

Now, he's 15. A wimp. He flinches. Always.

He's too timid to make a move on Beth, the buxom girl of his dreams, and too busy getting face-slammed into lockers by bullies to do much else.

He seeks the guidance of the biggest bad-ass he knows, his cousin Nick.

Nick is a professional burglar and makes Jake his apprentice. They stalk suburban neighborhoods night after night, ransacking houses for jewelry and sweet valuables.

Nick teaches Jake the finer points of breaking and entering along with his dark philosophy - that there is no right or wrong in the world, just a series of events that happen without meaning.

At first, adopting Nick's callous worldview helps Jake get over his fears and confront his tormentors, but he also unleashes an aggression in himself he never thought possible. And as he learns more about his cousin, he realizes that Nick's crimes go way beyond burglary.

In the end, Jake must face not only the monster in his cousin but also the one in his own heart.

Casting Shadows Everywhere is a dark and twisty psychological thriller perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lucinda Berry, A.J. Finn, and Paula Hawkins. Scroll up and grab it now.

"Casting Shadows Everywhere is beautifully written; a little terrifying, sometimes sad, filled with funny observations on everything from tacos to the workings of the brain, and occasionally profound. In a word, it is 'excellent.'" (Mike Billington)