Soon Dead

by Kate Bold

“An excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!” (Reader review for The Killing Game)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FBI Agent Gemma Forge must navigate a path of macabre crime scenes to enter a diabolical killer's twisted mind, racing to stop him as he recreates Dante's inferno, taking victims with him as he completes his descent into darkness—and aims to take her with him….

When cheating spouses begin turning up dead, Gemma Forge recognizes the killer's twisted homage to Dante's second circle of hell, where lustful souls are eternally tossed by violent winds. As more adulterers fall victim to this deadly whirlwind of justice, Gemma must navigate the murky world of extramarital affairs and betrayal to stop a killer who believes unfaithful hearts deserve an eternity of punishment.

SOON DEAD is BOOK #2 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller NOT ME (a free download) has received over 3,00 five star ratings and reviews. The series begins with SOON GONE (BOOK #1).

The Gemma Forge mystery series delivers pulse-pounding suspense through a deadly game of psychological chess filled with stunning revelations and unforeseen developments. With its compelling protagonist and fresh approach to crime fiction, this series will keep you turning pages long into the night. Fans of Lisa Regan, Karin Slaughter, and Teresa Driscoll are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available!

“This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
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“Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
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“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
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“This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
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“Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well.”
—Reader review for The Killing Game
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold.

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2026

About the author

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CAMILLE GRACE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the HARLEY COLE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the KAYLIE BROOKS SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the EVE HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting). Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to join the mailing list, receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

EVE HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)

IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)

IN HIS REACH (Book #3)

IN HIS MIND (Book #4)

IN HIS WAY (Book #5)

(and counting)

KAYLIE BROOKS SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)

(and counting)

HARLEY COLE SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)

NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)

NOWHERE PURE (Book #8)

NOWHERE SOUND (Book #9)

NOWHERE SANE (Book #10)

(and counting)

CAMILLE GRACE SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

(and counting)

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

(and counting)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

(and counting)

Reviews

[Marta Arce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved the story and plots of the saga, it's captivating and intriguing, I'm invested and wanna keep reading. The only problem is that the editing is really bad and you can find some inconsistencies through the story, you could easily guess what they were referring too, but still not pleasurable.

[Marni · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS***
I had high hopes for this book. I read the first in the series, Soon Gone, and liked it. The concept presented was an interesting one, following murder through Dante’s circles of hell.

I would’ve rated this book more stars if it weren’t for the obvious editorial errors in spelling and grammar, and the repeated continuity errors.

Book one ends in a church with the bad guy having his hand on a lever to release the victim for the complicated rope set up that he had her in that would lead to her strangulation and death. The FMC shoots the bad guy and they’re able to rescue the victim, and as the bad guy is dying, he says a line about there being eight more circles of hell.

Now we’re in book 2, and there’s a scene where the FMC is remembering that scene from book one and it states that the bad guy was holding a knife to the victim‘s throat and that he said the line about the eight circles of hell before she shot him. Which is not what happened.

The continuity errors just get worse as the book goes on. The first guy, Derek, is murdered. Then we move onto the second murder victim, Patricia. Patricia is staying at this hotel, the Whitmore. It’s established that she’s 47 years old. The room is 1147. She paid with cash and there was a credit card card on file in case she needed incidentals.

When the FMC and her partner arrive at the hotel, they go and check her room, room 1147, and then come down to the lobby and speak to the manager at the desk. The manager at the desk proceeds to say that the murder victim was 38 years old, she was on the eighth floor, in room 814, and paid with a credit card.

It was at this point that I stopped reading because I was so frustrated with the continuity errors. And these are things that were easy to find and correct. I’m surprised that these didn’t get caught either by editing or by the beta readers who read it before it went out.

It feels almost like two different people wrote this book or two different versions of the book were mashed together.

Super disappointing when a series I was looking forward to reading ends up with all of these continuity errors and now I don’t want to read any more of her books.

[Paige Alexander Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book because I enjoyed the first instalment in the series so much. The storyline and content did not disappoint, and overall it was an enjoyable read.

Unfortunately, the editing quality was a major issue. I can overlook the occasional typo, but this book contained a significant number of errors—at times, it felt like there was at least one on every page. There is simply no excuse for that level of poor editing in a published book.

The constant mistakes disrupted the flow of the story and detracted from what was otherwise a strong read. While I enjoyed the plot and the author's storytelling, the editing issues were frustrating enough that I am unlikely to purchase another book in the series.

[Grace Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been absolutely loving Kate Bold but this one fell flat. I could not get past the grammatical errors and the inconsistencies! If this went through an editor, they should be fired immediately because they did NOT do their job properly at all, and really led to the let down of what could have been a great story.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting the killer at the end, but it made sense once Gemma (main character) arrived at that point. Very good.

[DIANA D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It continues