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Past Rites
Lies can bury the past. But some secrets refuse to stay dead.
Four years after the apparent suicide of Alice Delgado, daughter of one of Albuquerque’s top racing drivers, her younger sister Lily vanishes. When two of Lily’s classmates are found dead, Detectives David Temeke and Malin Santiago are pulled into a chilling case that leads them to an elite boarding school on the banks of the Rio Grande.
There, behind a façade of privilege and silence, they uncover whispers of occult rituals and a mysterious ancient book – clues that ignite a disturbing chain of events and unravel long-buried truths.
As tensions mount within the department and the body count rises, Temeke and Santiago must race to stop a killer before another young life is lost.
Four years after the apparent suicide of Alice Delgado, daughter of one of Albuquerque’s top racing drivers, her younger sister Lily vanishes. When two of Lily’s classmates are found dead, Detectives David Temeke and Malin Santiago are pulled into a chilling case that leads them to an elite boarding school on the banks of the Rio Grande.
There, behind a façade of privilege and silence, they uncover whispers of occult rituals and a mysterious ancient book – clues that ignite a disturbing chain of events and unravel long-buried truths.
As tensions mount within the department and the body count rises, Temeke and Santiago must race to stop a killer before another young life is lost.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
2 people are currently reading
About the author
Claire Stibbe
15 books123 followersClaire Stibbe is the winner of the 2021 Page Turner Award for Fiction and a prolific novelist. Today, she writes dark, domestic suspense novels that draw on her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse. Her aim is not just to tell gripping stories but to inspire other survivors to find freedom and independence.
Claire worked as an Executive Assistant for twenty years in both London and the Far East. She now devotes herself full-time to writing. Her novels owe much to her years as a member of the Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy where her main focus was the impact of violence towards women and their families.
Claire now lives in Utah with her husband and son, and her cat, Edward, who sleeps on her desk while she writes. She is addicted to reading and sharing the crime fiction love. To keep up-to-date with her new books and blogs, sign up for her newsletter at: https://linktr.ee/ClaireStibbe
Member: Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy, International Thriller Writers, CWA, Sisters in Crime, Alliance of Independent Authors and Mystery Writers, New Mexico Book Co-op, and Southwest Writers.
Awards: Winner of the Page Turner Writing Award and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards, Wishing Shelf Silver Medal Award, Award-Winning Finalist 2019 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest.
Claire worked as an Executive Assistant for twenty years in both London and the Far East. She now devotes herself full-time to writing. Her novels owe much to her years as a member of the Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy where her main focus was the impact of violence towards women and their families.
Claire now lives in Utah with her husband and son, and her cat, Edward, who sleeps on her desk while she writes. She is addicted to reading and sharing the crime fiction love. To keep up-to-date with her new books and blogs, sign up for her newsletter at: https://linktr.ee/ClaireStibbe
Member: Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy, International Thriller Writers, CWA, Sisters in Crime, Alliance of Independent Authors and Mystery Writers, New Mexico Book Co-op, and Southwest Writers.
Awards: Winner of the Page Turner Writing Award and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards, Wishing Shelf Silver Medal Award, Award-Winning Finalist 2019 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest.
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