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The Basement
What happened in the basement?
When Cassie Walsh returns to her small Minnesota hometown for her mother’s funeral, she intends to leave as quickly as possible. But a shocking discovery in the basement freezer of her childhood home changes everything.
The discovery of the body of Cassie’s long-lost teenage crush in her mother’s chest freezer shatters her world and forces her to confront a buried secret from 15 years ago.
Haunted by a past she tried to escape, Cassie is thrusted into a harrowing quest for truth. Her journey uncovers sinister family secrets and a web of lies that threaten to destroy everything she thought she knew. As Cassie delves deeper into the shadows of her past, she faces chilling consequences and revelations that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.
“The Basement” is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the devastating impact of family lies and the relentless pursuit of truth. This heart-pounding tale of betrayal, revenge, and the dark legacy of a family’s buried sins will captivate fans of Daniel Hurst, Freida McFadden, and Lucinda Berry. Get ready to be captivated by this new addition to the psychological thriller genre, guaranteed to keep you awake, flipping pages.
When Cassie Walsh returns to her small Minnesota hometown for her mother’s funeral, she intends to leave as quickly as possible. But a shocking discovery in the basement freezer of her childhood home changes everything.
The discovery of the body of Cassie’s long-lost teenage crush in her mother’s chest freezer shatters her world and forces her to confront a buried secret from 15 years ago.
Haunted by a past she tried to escape, Cassie is thrusted into a harrowing quest for truth. Her journey uncovers sinister family secrets and a web of lies that threaten to destroy everything she thought she knew. As Cassie delves deeper into the shadows of her past, she faces chilling consequences and revelations that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.
“The Basement” is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the devastating impact of family lies and the relentless pursuit of truth. This heart-pounding tale of betrayal, revenge, and the dark legacy of a family’s buried sins will captivate fans of Daniel Hurst, Freida McFadden, and Lucinda Berry. Get ready to be captivated by this new addition to the psychological thriller genre, guaranteed to keep you awake, flipping pages.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 9, 2024
691 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Alan Petersen
9 books19 followersI was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and I grew up there and in Caracas, Venezuela. I write thrillers and interview writers for my podcast, MEET THE THRILLER AUTHOR.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 18, 2024
It was fine, predictable. Have I just read too many thrillers? Will I ever enjoy them thoroughly again??
January 9, 2025
ehhh
The first half of the book every other page was a mention about “what happened in the basement”, rather repetitive. Almost a DNF, predictable ending.
The first half of the book every other page was a mention about “what happened in the basement”, rather repetitive. Almost a DNF, predictable ending.
August 19, 2024
I started reading this book after reading awhile to finish another. I couldn’t stop reading it! Even though the main action didn’t start until near the end, the rest of the book also hooked me. It was just written in a way to keep the interest flowing. I would have given 5 stars but I guessed a major twist which was a small disappointment.
October 28, 2024
Good plot
Kept me reading, even though it was easy to figure out what was going on. Mostly unlikeable characters. But the typos and grammar errors are horrendous. Tons of them. Like an obituary that reads three grandchildren when there were two. Lots of rereading stuff to figure out what it said, which totally ruined the flow. If you can get past that, it’s worth a read.
Kept me reading, even though it was easy to figure out what was going on. Mostly unlikeable characters. But the typos and grammar errors are horrendous. Tons of them. Like an obituary that reads three grandchildren when there were two. Lots of rereading stuff to figure out what it said, which totally ruined the flow. If you can get past that, it’s worth a read.
November 20, 2024
I enjoyed this book but I feel like it was just a little too predictable.
January 15, 2025
The story was a bit slow once it got to the point which was more than half it was good but great.
November 18, 2024
So many secrets
Cassie returns home for her mothers funeral. She didn't have a great relationship with her mother or brother after what happened when she was younger. Mikey, her "friend" has been missing for 15 years and his sister is relentless in finding out what happened to him.
Cassie returns home for her mothers funeral. She didn't have a great relationship with her mother or brother after what happened when she was younger. Mikey, her "friend" has been missing for 15 years and his sister is relentless in finding out what happened to him.
August 14, 2024
This book dragged along; I almost couldn't finish it! There was one section that I got excited and thought it was going to get better, but nope. Still repetitive, still dragged on...
September 29, 2024
Really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. Nice little twist near the end
August 6, 2024
needs more editing
The story line is good. Quite a few twists and turns. But there are a few contradictions, for example the mother’s car… was impounded with a smashed window, but then the same day it says they were in that car further funeral. It never said they picked it up. Then after that they mention it being impounded again. There are a few more inconsistencies.
The story line is good. Quite a few twists and turns. But there are a few contradictions, for example the mother’s car… was impounded with a smashed window, but then the same day it says they were in that car further funeral. It never said they picked it up. Then after that they mention it being impounded again. There are a few more inconsistencies.
October 4, 2024
twisted
Figured out the major plot but the back story was weirdly thrown in near the end. Just seemed weird but a good read regardless.
Figured out the major plot but the back story was weirdly thrown in near the end. Just seemed weird but a good read regardless.
January 2, 2026
“You need to stop being scared. Be strong, like you used to be. The truth can’t hurt you. The lies have been killing you since the day I died,” he urged. ✓.
Fifteen is a year of new beginnings, experimentations, and experiences preparing to shape you into your first stages of adulthood. Cassie Walsh, desperate to move past her controlling and abusive mother, welcomes Michael (Mikey) Moretti into the basement while home alone. Her older brother Brent was a high school athlete with a promising spread of Ivy leave colleges, and Cassie was a straight A student quickly following behind him. As the two engaged in simple kisses that turned into making out, Mikey tries to push his luck as Cassie pushed back. Not wanting things to move any further, he's pinning her to the bed when she hits him over the head with one of her brother's dumbbells. With him out cold and I responsive, she panicked and ran straight into her brother Brent. Seeing the boy downstairs and telling Cassie he was dead, they ropes their own mother into their mess as an emergency call brought her home. Unbeknownst, Mikey WA still alive until Brent entered the basement and washed his skull in with multiple head strikes. As their mother stashed the body wrapped in bedsheets in a chest freezer, they all swore to never talk about what happened even as speculation continued to rise. Desperate for answers, Mikey's family pressed police for fifteen years, even harassing Brent and his mother for months as they wanted to know what really happened. Knowing he went to Cassie's house the day he disappeared, many more stones were about to be overturned.
My failure to act means I have to break our pact now that I’m dead. You children need to go down to the basement. In my freezer, you’ll find it. Do what I failed to do and get it out of there and finally get rid of it, forever. Then burn this letter.
I spun around, my heart racing, and I saw Mikey standing there. But he didn’t look like he did when he was fifteen, how he looked when I thought about him, forever stuck like how he looked on that fateful day. This time, he looked like he had crawled out of the freezer. His skin was leathery and wet. I felt the cold from the freezer wafting toward me, and his sunken face stared back at me.
The victims were beaten and strangled. Their faces bashed into oblivion by the brutal killer, thus the crass nickname the media had given the killer: The Basher.
Refusing to let this ruin his life, Brent pushed forward and landed himself a successful practice specializing in plastic surgery. Meanwhile, Cassie is still so overrun with grief and guilt she's spent these years drifting dead on job to the next, drowning her pain with alcohol. A drunk who worked waitressing jobs to pay the meager rent, she pushed her brother's advancements to help her away. Estranged, it wasn't until her mother's suicide that she would return to the small town of Big Plain, Minnesota and find herself once again thrust under the spotlight. Refusing to believe her brothers case would forever go I solved, his sister Robin hounds the two constantly for answers and interviews, which Cassie is slowly breaking under the pressure of. As Brent watches his sister begin to crumble, he forces lawyers to intervene but it wasn't going to end. Becoming worried after a DWI shows she had alcohol and fentanyl in her system, Cassie swears she never touched the narcotics. A few days later, police officer Charlie Bell is found dead in their mother's basement, and Cassie survives while drenched in his blood. As Brent pushes the narrative that Charlie was the serial killer; The Basher, he also planted the shirt and wallet from the freezer at Charlie's home. For months after Cassie lives under her brother's thumb and money, she is forced to keep the secrets inside even longer as she is bursting at the seams. Reaching out to Robin to admit the guilt she's carried, the woman blows her off and harshly ends the phone call. Sitting outside her mother's house, she never anticipated Brent there as he Injects her and drags her to the same basement this nightmare started with. Planning to kill her and hide her body away, he admitted to being a ruthless killer with urges reaching back since his early adolescence. When the opportunity to kill Mikey presented itself, he couldn't resist and used his younger sister's conscience to his benefit. As Robin manages to make it inside, she is stabbed through the ribs before she can inflict the final killing shots on Brent. Freeing Cassie from the duck taped bag around her head, she now settles into a life in New Mexico, avoiding everything related to her ordeal. Getting closer with Robin after granting her and her family closure, Cassie just can't believe how her brother truly turned. The cause of her mother's suicide, it was Brent who hung her and framed the death to avoid suspion as his mother was getting closer to speaking out. So many lies, but finally she has seen enough of the truth and still has her life intact.
She had to understand that there was no coming clean and finding absolution without affecting my life. And I wouldn’t have it. Everything I’d done for her. All that I’d accomplished. It wouldn’t turn to shit. I wouldn’t allow it. No matter what I had to do.
Fifteen is a year of new beginnings, experimentations, and experiences preparing to shape you into your first stages of adulthood. Cassie Walsh, desperate to move past her controlling and abusive mother, welcomes Michael (Mikey) Moretti into the basement while home alone. Her older brother Brent was a high school athlete with a promising spread of Ivy leave colleges, and Cassie was a straight A student quickly following behind him. As the two engaged in simple kisses that turned into making out, Mikey tries to push his luck as Cassie pushed back. Not wanting things to move any further, he's pinning her to the bed when she hits him over the head with one of her brother's dumbbells. With him out cold and I responsive, she panicked and ran straight into her brother Brent. Seeing the boy downstairs and telling Cassie he was dead, they ropes their own mother into their mess as an emergency call brought her home. Unbeknownst, Mikey WA still alive until Brent entered the basement and washed his skull in with multiple head strikes. As their mother stashed the body wrapped in bedsheets in a chest freezer, they all swore to never talk about what happened even as speculation continued to rise. Desperate for answers, Mikey's family pressed police for fifteen years, even harassing Brent and his mother for months as they wanted to know what really happened. Knowing he went to Cassie's house the day he disappeared, many more stones were about to be overturned.
My failure to act means I have to break our pact now that I’m dead. You children need to go down to the basement. In my freezer, you’ll find it. Do what I failed to do and get it out of there and finally get rid of it, forever. Then burn this letter.
I spun around, my heart racing, and I saw Mikey standing there. But he didn’t look like he did when he was fifteen, how he looked when I thought about him, forever stuck like how he looked on that fateful day. This time, he looked like he had crawled out of the freezer. His skin was leathery and wet. I felt the cold from the freezer wafting toward me, and his sunken face stared back at me.
The victims were beaten and strangled. Their faces bashed into oblivion by the brutal killer, thus the crass nickname the media had given the killer: The Basher.
Refusing to let this ruin his life, Brent pushed forward and landed himself a successful practice specializing in plastic surgery. Meanwhile, Cassie is still so overrun with grief and guilt she's spent these years drifting dead on job to the next, drowning her pain with alcohol. A drunk who worked waitressing jobs to pay the meager rent, she pushed her brother's advancements to help her away. Estranged, it wasn't until her mother's suicide that she would return to the small town of Big Plain, Minnesota and find herself once again thrust under the spotlight. Refusing to believe her brothers case would forever go I solved, his sister Robin hounds the two constantly for answers and interviews, which Cassie is slowly breaking under the pressure of. As Brent watches his sister begin to crumble, he forces lawyers to intervene but it wasn't going to end. Becoming worried after a DWI shows she had alcohol and fentanyl in her system, Cassie swears she never touched the narcotics. A few days later, police officer Charlie Bell is found dead in their mother's basement, and Cassie survives while drenched in his blood. As Brent pushes the narrative that Charlie was the serial killer; The Basher, he also planted the shirt and wallet from the freezer at Charlie's home. For months after Cassie lives under her brother's thumb and money, she is forced to keep the secrets inside even longer as she is bursting at the seams. Reaching out to Robin to admit the guilt she's carried, the woman blows her off and harshly ends the phone call. Sitting outside her mother's house, she never anticipated Brent there as he Injects her and drags her to the same basement this nightmare started with. Planning to kill her and hide her body away, he admitted to being a ruthless killer with urges reaching back since his early adolescence. When the opportunity to kill Mikey presented itself, he couldn't resist and used his younger sister's conscience to his benefit. As Robin manages to make it inside, she is stabbed through the ribs before she can inflict the final killing shots on Brent. Freeing Cassie from the duck taped bag around her head, she now settles into a life in New Mexico, avoiding everything related to her ordeal. Getting closer with Robin after granting her and her family closure, Cassie just can't believe how her brother truly turned. The cause of her mother's suicide, it was Brent who hung her and framed the death to avoid suspion as his mother was getting closer to speaking out. So many lies, but finally she has seen enough of the truth and still has her life intact.
She had to understand that there was no coming clean and finding absolution without affecting my life. And I wouldn’t have it. Everything I’d done for her. All that I’d accomplished. It wouldn’t turn to shit. I wouldn’t allow it. No matter what I had to do.
April 26, 2025
Not very well written with some continuity issues and grammar problems. Predictable outcome I saw coming from very early on.
December 24, 2024
DID NOT WANT TO PUT IT DOWN
This book had me hooked from the beginning. It definitely takes you for a loop and was so hard to put down.
The main character is an unreliable alcoholic named Cassie and 15 years ago her world was turned upside down. This psychological thriller takes you on a rollercoaster as you try to not only get to the truth of what happened that night but also who was responsible. I can’t say too much without spoiling anything but I thought this was a fantastic read.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. It definitely takes you for a loop and was so hard to put down.
The main character is an unreliable alcoholic named Cassie and 15 years ago her world was turned upside down. This psychological thriller takes you on a rollercoaster as you try to not only get to the truth of what happened that night but also who was responsible. I can’t say too much without spoiling anything but I thought this was a fantastic read.
October 2, 2024
Enjoyable read
I very much enjoyed this book and will leave no spoilers. It was steady from the beginning but the second half is hard to put down. I did solve it early but the twists did make me question it a couple times. If you want a fun fast paced read I definitely recommend this.
I very much enjoyed this book and will leave no spoilers. It was steady from the beginning but the second half is hard to put down. I did solve it early but the twists did make me question it a couple times. If you want a fun fast paced read I definitely recommend this.
February 14, 2025
This book missed the mark for me. I agree with others that stated that there were context and grammatical errors. It also seemed like there were poor police procedural errors in the original disappearance.
Perhaps it is because I am currently sick with influenza A that influenced my review, but I don't think so.
Perhaps it is because I am currently sick with influenza A that influenced my review, but I don't think so.
August 13, 2025
Shocking ending
The book was well written. During mid book I was guessing one person but then come to find out it was someone else. I continued reading and it was the original person I thought if that makes sense. I was not able to stop reading or put it down because I wanted to know what happened next.
The book was well written. During mid book I was guessing one person but then come to find out it was someone else. I continued reading and it was the original person I thought if that makes sense. I was not able to stop reading or put it down because I wanted to know what happened next.
December 19, 2025
When we first meet Cassie, she admits to murdering a fellow classmate. Her mother has passed away, and she’s going back to Minnesota for the funeral at the behest of her older brother. Excellent development of the main situation that keeps the listener and or reader engrossed in the story waiting for the other shoe to drop. A definite five star experience. Great job by Alan Petersen. The audio version is first rate and well performed.
July 25, 2024
Wowsers!!
This was phenomenally written and gripping. Usually I get invested in one specific character; that didn’t happen here. I was so busy questioning everything that I could never pick a side. Kudos to Alan Peterson for blowing my mind!!
This was phenomenally written and gripping. Usually I get invested in one specific character; that didn’t happen here. I was so busy questioning everything that I could never pick a side. Kudos to Alan Peterson for blowing my mind!!
August 22, 2024
Enjoyed it
Cassie was a brave alcoholic who preserved 2 or 3 murders
And somehow got to the truth. Off. Who the Basher was,
Totally entertaining book read through my kindle being canceled somehow
Cassie was a brave alcoholic who preserved 2 or 3 murders
And somehow got to the truth. Off. Who the Basher was,
Totally entertaining book read through my kindle being canceled somehow
September 26, 2024
What a great story
The cover is what made me pick this book. But when I started reading I couldn't put it down. While fixing dinner I put it on voice reader. Towards the end of the book I was shocked to find the guilty party wasn't who I was thinking it was.
The cover is what made me pick this book. But when I started reading I couldn't put it down. While fixing dinner I put it on voice reader. Towards the end of the book I was shocked to find the guilty party wasn't who I was thinking it was.
November 9, 2024
Interest Keeper
This was very intriguing. Lots of twists and turns, and clever plot. Very enjoyable read. I especially like that there was post writing after the chain of events occurred.
This was very intriguing. Lots of twists and turns, and clever plot. Very enjoyable read. I especially like that there was post writing after the chain of events occurred.
December 21, 2025
Pick me up on your way down !
Writes like flying a war plane, fast and furious ! Really liked this one, a little wild at times but that just made it better. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy.
Writes like flying a war plane, fast and furious ! Really liked this one, a little wild at times but that just made it better. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy.
December 26, 2025
This book kept my interest all the way through. There was a lot of mentioning about the basement in the story without saying what happened until much later but it kept my curiosity. The plot twist in the end was good.
July 30, 2024
This one was intense.
August 27, 2024
Not too bad. I did figure quite a bit out before half way done but had to finish to see more of the story and how close I was.
October 14, 2024
Great read!
I really enjoyed this book, however, it was a bit predictable. Nonetheless it kept me from engaged and turning the pages! I will check out more from this author.
I really enjoyed this book, however, it was a bit predictable. Nonetheless it kept me from engaged and turning the pages! I will check out more from this author.
October 31, 2024
Wow!
This book is amazing! I never knew where the story was going ! Twists and turns all the time! I loved it! Couldn’t stop reading! Cannot wait to read Alan Peterson next book!
This book is amazing! I never knew where the story was going ! Twists and turns all the time! I loved it! Couldn’t stop reading! Cannot wait to read Alan Peterson next book!
November 12, 2024
Really liked this book. Characters were interesting and story intriguing
November 28, 2024
So good, definitely a page turner!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews