River's Reckoning : Addictive psychological thriller with a twist

by Kate Gable

The man who's haunted her for twenty years finally has a name.

Getting answers means looking evil in the eye.

FBI Agent River Collins just closed the biggest case of her career—a cult that murdered children in ritualistic ceremonies. But the investigation revealed something far worse.

The mastermind has been in federal prison for fifteen years.

And he's been orchestrating everything from inside.

The Shepherd. The man who trained River's childhood captors. Who's been tracking her FBI career through a network of devoted followers.

He believes River is the unfinished work that must be completed.

Now prison records reveal dozens of visitors. Years of correspondence. Instructions for operations River hasn't discovered yet.

And when people close to River start disappearing, she realizes that the Shepherd's endgame is already in motion.

River Collins survived once by running.

This time, she's done running.

This time, she's going to end it.

Perfect for fans of Mary Stone, Elle Gray, and dark psychological thrillers with complex female protagonists.

The explosive conclusion to The Shepherd arc.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 28, 2026

About the author

Kate Gable loves a good mystery that is full of suspense. She grew up devouring psychological thrillers and crime novels as well as movies, tv shows and true crime.

Her favorite stories are the ones that are centered on families with lots of secrets and lies as well as many twists and turns. Her novels have elements of psychological suspense, thriller, mystery and romance.

Kate Gable lives in Southern California with her husband, son, a dog and a cat. She has spent more than twenty years in this area and finds inspiration from its cities, canyons, deserts, and small mountain towns.

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Reviews

[Suzanne Normandeau Legault · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellente suspenseful thriller that kept me reading past my bedtime. River is an amazing FBI agent but also a survival victim. She’s once again confronted with the satanic monster who abducted her at age twelve, who still hunts her dreams after twenty years and wants to pursue where he left off. The psychological mind games and torture she endured have hunted her to this day. The case is not over, even though her abductee is incarcerated for life , he still manages to operate from within the prison walls . Determined to stop him, River must face him again, where she learns truths that shatter her and puts people she loves in danger . This book is dark with sensitive issues such as; kidnapping and abuse, mind control and stalking. I highly recommend this book for those who crave dark suspenseful thrillers.

[MGB · Rating 4 out of 5]

River's childhood was marked by unimaginable horrors. She escaped but the cult which held her wants her back. That brings back memories and nightmares. It's her job to put them away, but to do it she had to move past the history and follow the facts.

Facts and intuition lead her search. She works well in the team to collect data, but at times it's more than she can bear. Very few are close to her, those that are will be in danger. Follow her drive, the facts and everything she has learned since childhood to solve the case.

[Joanne Bandfield-Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was so suspenseful and scary. It was great for her to get a little closure.

[Michelle Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I like how it ended. she finally got her closure. there were some good twists. as always Kate Gable has written an amazing story. I highly recommend it.