Her Wicked Ways

by Chris C. Carter

Some masks are meant to be worn forever. Others are bound to slip.

Tessa Harper has spent her life perfecting the art of deception. To the outside world, she’s the compassionate nurse, the devoted wife, the woman who always does the right thing. But beneath the surface, darkness lurks—a third face, one that knows the price of justice and isn’t afraid to pay it in blood.

When her husband vanishes without a trace, Tessa’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Whispers of secrets and betrayal echo through the corridors of her past, and the authorities start asking questions she’s not prepared to answer. As she navigates a labyrinth of lies, Tessa must confront the truth about herself before it’s too late.

But some truths are more dangerous than lies… and some sins can never be washed away.

Her Wicked Ways is a gripping psychological thriller that will leave you questioning how well you really know the people around you.

Genres: Suspense

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2025

About the author

I work full-time in corporate marketing, communications, and government affairs. I'm a thriller author part-time—hoping to eventually make it my full-time career.

I started reading R.L. Stine Goosebumps books at a very young age. I had a brother 10 years older than me that watched horror movies. And I've been obsessed with Halloween since a young age. Those three experiences shaped my love of thrillers, horror, and suspense. I love the element of fear in a controlled environment— without the threat of actual harm. It feels like such an immersive experience to me.

Which is a good segue into the 3 things I focus on as a writer; what I want for my readers when they're reading my books:

1) An immersive experience — I love the escape from reality that a good book (or movie) offers.

2) An emotional rollercoaster — I want you to be anxious, nervous, scared, laugh, cry, gasp, think... I love books that take me on a wild ride of emotions.

3) Impart life lessons — I hope you can learn life lessons or principles through my characters' actions, thoughts, and choices.

Other things about me: I played professional baseball for the Martinez Sturgeon of the Pecos League. I have two beautiful girls, Addison (born 2023) and Olivia (2020).

I love relaxing on the beach, with a book in hand, listening to the crash of the waves. I love going to the movie theater, ordering a large bucket of popcorn, a box of Buncha Crunch, and a giant Coke. My therapy is weight training and walks. Nothing brings me more joy than going to playgrounds, children's museums, and trampoline parks with my kids. Being an active and present father is my highest priority. With kids, the days are long but the years are short. I'm soaking it all in while they're young. It's a wonderful life.

Reviews

[Babs | babs_reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have three faces …

I was immediately hooked! Tessa has a dark side she works to keep hidden. Things in her life start to unravel when her husband goes missing.

I enjoyed the web of stories and characters and how they began to connect. I enjoyed the pacing and questioned everything not quite trusting that Tessa was reliable for information.

I was entertained and read it fairly quickly.

This is a debut novel and I look forward to what this author will do next. 👏🏼

[♡Heather✩Brown♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devious! Haha loved it! Need to find my review in my notes 🫣 finished a while ago

[Lauren Self (lauren.shelby.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fast paced thriller to get you out of a reading slump 🔪
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • available now

I enjoyed Chris Carter’s debut and will definitely pick up his next book if he decides to write more! Has short chapters and lots of 2007 nostalgia (think BlackBerries, MySpace and TPain songs — truly one of my favorite years 🙌🏻)

While I was hooked from the beginning, it did feel like there was a slight shift in the plot about halfway through - but that did not keep me from being interested in the story & how it played out. I was genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of it, and there were so many twists in the second half I didn’t know who or what to believe. Perfect for fans of well-known serial killer cases!

The only thing I truly didn’t like was a few detailed spicy scenes (no offense at all, they just give me the ick in thrillers) but those are easily skimmed and the story went on ☺️

Thanks so much to the author for generously gifting me a copy of this book for me to read and review!
I look forward to the next one! 🖤

[Virginia Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were interesting and kept me engaged. The overall plot was good. Side storylines were a bit confusing at times and the book seemed to change from intended plot about halfway through. Maybe input from an editor would be good.

Personally, I don't typically care for fiction books written by men in the female perspective. Some of this main character's traits seem odd, even for a woman with possible mental issues.

Three stars because I did enjoy most of the book and finished it. I was intrigued by the ending. I would consider reading Chris's future books.

[Bookish_Aly_Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this thriller! I found the main character, Tessa, to be extremely interesting to follow. You never knew what she was going to do next. The story itself was full of all the elements I love in a thriller and had no shortage of dark and twisty turns.

Read this if you like:
🔪 Serial killers
🔪 Missing person
🔪 Fast pace

If you are looking for a thriller that will keep you on your toes, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy of the book.

[Candy Galindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew what to expect from Tessa, the female main character. she killed, but did not consider herself a serial killer. I really liked the twist regarding who she was and the twist at the end. this was the second book I have read by this author, and I will definitely check out more of his books

[Danielle Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unputdownable!!

I struggled to put this one down and make myself go to bed. This one was an awesome read that I jumped into and devoured ❤️

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good read. Enjoyed the characters and plot. Sometimes it got a bit confusing, but would get back on track shortly. Definitely well worth the read, with twists that keep you guessing.

[Jessica Markle · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off the premise and plot weren’t bad; albeit vastly underdeveloped; but there were so many factual inaccuracies that it was distracting and off putting. Lots of inaccurate location depictions, nursing/healthcare information that wasn’t accurate, and historical facts that were off base despite all being easy to verify from a basic google search. The high suspense/action portions were overly built up and then just left behind when you turn to the next chapter, lots of unexplained events in the story.

Examples:
A. if your main character is a nurse and you make a point of discussing her Alma mater of Va Tech you should probably know that VT doesn’t actually have a nursing program…

B. If you are going to reference the National DNA database as having samples from the 1970s, you should probably know that it wasn’t founded until the mid 90s…

[Heather Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Book. Blew. Me. Away. I absolutely loved it and was sad when it ended. The first page is totally spot on and I relate to it so much. We all have three faces…. Tessa is the perfect package; successful nurse, hot doctor husband, and a dark side. Her whole life changes very rapidly when her husband goes missing. A year later, and still no answers as to where he is or even if he is still alive. Tessa continues to search for answers and finds so many secrets and lies surrounding her. But the worst is yet to come as she unearths a very dangerous secret. Can she find the answers she is looking for and remain sane?

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to @chrisccarter for the #gifted copy of Her Wicked Ways.

⭐️: 4/5

I was hooked from page one: "𝖠 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽...."

The chapters were short and fast-paced, making it nearly impossible to put this book down. It was a wild and twisted ride from beginning to end, and I was completely captivated. I really enjoyed the nostalgia of returning to the era of BlackBerries and MySpace—it made me feel like a teenager again! The twist at the end was unexpected, and I appreciated how the entire story came together so seamlessly.

𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓯𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓭𝓮𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵. 👏

[Kat Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Some Spoliers pesent- I love the premise of the book. A female serial killer, the mental health aspects, missing spouse, plot twists are all good. I love the medication angle. I thought the Ted Bundy angle was far fetched and kind of put me off a little bit. I am glad that I read it. There were some parts that seemed choppy. Overall, I truely enjoyed the book and Im glad I read it. I would recommend it to others.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this in hours! Full of webs to process through and figure out. Definitely wanted to keep going to figure it out, hence the quick read! You essentially know Tessa is wrong but it’s for a good cause... Does that make it acceptable???
Looking forward to more books from Chris!

[Hooked on books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow

I was hooked from the beginning. It’s full of twists and turns. Would highly recommend this one to anyone looking for an edge of your seat, what will happen next thriller.

[Brooklynn Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely blew me away! Just when I thought for sure that I had it figured out, I was wrong. It was relatively quick, I think it was just under 300 pages. But seriously, so so good!

[Julie Maleski (juliereads_alot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Her Wicked Ways By Chris C. Carter
Publication Date: July 27, 2025
Publisher: Independently Published

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A big thank you to Chris C. Carter for reaching out and sending me a #gifted copy of his book!

📚MY REVIEW:

Her Wicked Ways, the debut from Chris C. Carter, is a completely unhinged psychological thriller that will leave your head spinning!

FMC Tessa Harper seems to have a bit of an unhinged streak. She has spent her life perfecting the art of deception. To the outside world, she’s the compassionate nurse, the devoted wife, the woman who always does the right thing. But beneath the surface, darkness lurks— and Tessa knows the price of justice and isn’t afraid to pay it in blood.

But when her husband vanishes without a trace, Tessa’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Whispers of secrets and betrayal echo through the corridors of her past, and the authorities start asking questions she’s not prepared to answer. As she navigates a labyrinth of lies, Tessa must confront the truth about herself before it’s too late.

This book pretty quickly captured my interest and I liked the emergence of Tessa's unhinged inner avenger. I enjoyed the overall plot and the primary storyline. With that being said, however, there was A LOT going on in this book. The second half of the story took some major unexpected turns and raised plotlines that completely forced me to suspend my disbelief. I almost felt like I couldn't keep up with everything coming at me. But once I settled into the suspension of my disbelief and just accepted that this was a wild ride, I kinda liked the way the storylines came together and the explosive ending of this one!

While I personally would've appreciated fewer storylines within this read, I think readers who enjoy strong female characters with a badass streak, revenge thrillers, and fast-moving plotlines will really enjoy this book. Just settle in, buckle up, and enjoy this wild ride with Tessa! Available now!

#HerWickedWays #ChrisCCarter #indieauthors #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerreads #strongfemalecharacters #avengingthrillers #bookreviews #bookrecs #booklover #bookaddict

[Jillian Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day Goodreads will let me do half stars but apparently not today. This one really deserves 3.5 in my opinion and the only reason it’s not higher is because it is a bit dark and a bit twisted for my personal taste. However, the base story line and the twists thrown in keep you turning page after page.

Tessa is one person to her husband, her patients, and her father, but someone completely different on the inside. Traumatic events from her past have turned her into someone who is affected by extreme mood swings and all consuming anger. She has to see a psychiatrist to keep her new medications aligned after what happened at the hospital. That fateful day is also why she believes her husband James is missing. He left the house for errands after church, and hasn’t been back since.

The author tells the story of a woman who believes justice can only be served when she takes things in to her own hands- and justice for Tessa is not “an eye for an eye”. Tessa prefers a life for an eye. She struggles with resetting the power balance between the silenced women and power hungry men of her small Virginia town. And now she must also figure out where James is and if he is ok.

This book has so many different elements, and a million twists all thrown in at the end- and somehow it still works! It’s 250 pages of pure excitement and thrill, and I would be surprised if it took anyone more than three days to devour it whole. As a first novel from this author I can only wait to see how his writing progresses with the next.

[Stephanie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will have you grasping at wtf the whole time

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone that has any issues with being sexually raped or molested. It does speak a lot on that. So if you have a hard time with it. This book wont be for you. The whole time of me reading this book my mind was like I get her points in why but wtf.

[Lavinia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wicked ways

I bought this book thinking it wAs by Chris Carter. On reading a few pages I realised it wasn't him. I did finish reading this book , but really not one I would really recommend to the other Chris Carter fans .

[Andrea Jo B · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟
This was such a fast paced thriller that I finished in just a couple hours total! There were some parts that were a little bit of a stretch, but I didn't pick up this book to read non-fiction ... so it is a great story overall and looking forward to more books from thus author in the future.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a little confusing - was the FMC a mentally unstable pyschopath or a timid woman with drug-induced violent tendencies. But overall a good story that kept me wondering what twist was coming next.

[thomas m derosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

meandering disjointed fluff

[Kris the retired librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot going on in this story and I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I liked the main character Tessa. She’s going through some things including a missing husband and the loss of her nursing license. Added to that is her strong sense for justice and anger issues. Tessa can be messy, but she’s also caring and supportive.

Read this if you like:
Tension throughout
A fast pace
Strong female main character
Vigilante justice
Secrets and lies
A quick read