Up Close

ADVANCED Praise for UP CLOSE “Danielle Girard is a phenomenal writer. In Up Close, her insightful and compulsively readable new novel, she creates a vivid portrait of a tight-knit small town grappling with a series of teenage deaths. Accidents or murder? Girard keeps you guessing until the final, breathtaking twist.” —Jillian Medoff, author of When We Were Bright and Beautiful “In the tiny town of Hagen, North Dakota, teens are dying under circumstances that are both deeply disturbing and utterly bizarre. Danielle Girard’s finely honed talents are on full display in her latest thriller, which marks the return of canny Detective Kylie Milliard and peels back layers of secrets to reveal a sinister puzzle that’s too close to home. A vivid and emotional white-knuckle read.” — Tessa Wegert, author of The Kind to Kill “Atmospheric and suspenseful, Up Close is littered with jaw dropping moments throughout. Girard delivers another relentless thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat, formulating theory after theory, only to twist the ending in a way you’ll never see coming—not once, but twice. Satisfying and poignant, it’s a brilliant end to the Badlands series.” —Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of Finding Tessa “Hallelujah—Detective Kylie Milliard and the folks of Hagen, North Dakota, are back! The propulsive plot of Up Close will keep you turning pages late into the night while the deftly-drawn characters will make your heart ache. Danielle Girard is at the top of her game with this electrifying mystery.” —Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Quarry Girls Praise for White Out “Readers will cheer the dogged Kylie on . . . Girard tells an exciting story.” —Publishers Weekly “[White Out is] full of just the right number of misdirections and surprises. The characters, especially Lily, are appealingly vulnerable.” —Kirkus Reviews “White Out is a superb thriller—intense, intricate, and so intriguing. Detective Kylie Milliard is a badass, and Girard is one heck of a storyteller. The start of a fabulous new series.” —J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Good Girls Lie “Girard excels at creating kick-ass heroines in high-stakes, high-tension thrillers. Lily Baker and Detective Kylie Milliard ensure White Out is the start to another white-knuckle series.” —Robert Dugoni, #1 Amazon and international bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series “I loved White Out from page one until the jaw-dropping conclusion. I do this for a living, and Danielle Girard spun me in so many circles I was dizzy when it was over. The pacing is pitch perfect, the plot taut as a high wire, and the characters will stick with you long after you’ve read the shocking finale. I can’t wait to read Danielle’s next adventure in the sleepy little town of Hagen, North Dakota, which calls to mind Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: ‘Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’” —D. J. Palmer, USA Today bestselling author of Saving Meghan “Tantalizingly and seductively chilling. The story lines twist and turn and combine, revealing loss, fear, and love in a rivetingly compelling—and constantly surprising—tale of lives forgotten and lives found. Danielle Girard delves revealingly into deep emotions and hidden motivations in this original and supremely satisfying thriller.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, national bestselling author of The Murder List ITP Up Close Copyright © 2023 by Danielle Girard. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions First Edition: May 2023 Cover and Formatting: Damonza ISBN: By payment of required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this book. 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ALSO BY DANIELLE GIRARD BADLANDS SERIES White Out Far Gone DR. SCHWARTZMAN SERIES Exhume Excise Expose Expire The Ex, a novella ROOKIE CLUB SERIES Dead Center One Clean Shot Dark Passage Grave Danger Everything to Lose OTHER WORKS Savage Art Ruthless Game Chasing Darkness Cold Silence For Claire & Jack, My greatest blessings. For the gifts of joy, laughter, love and awe that you each bring to my life and to the world. For Nicole, Your friendship is such a treasure. That you’re also my sister is proof of magic. I love you each to the moon… Contents Chapter 1: Tash Chapter 2: Kylie Chapter 3: Kylie Chapter 4: Iver Chapter 5 Chapter 6: Iver Chapter 7: Kylie Chapter 8: Kylie Chapter 9 Chapter 10: Kylie Chapter 11: Kylie Chapter 12: Iver Chapter 13: Kylie Chapter 1 Tash Last November Tash Kohl was not worried about drowning. During swim season, Coach had them work drills to improve lung capacity and at his peak, Tash could beat three minutes. Even chained to a cement