Harmony: A Modern Psychological Thriller

by Lee Dawna

Jane wasn’t just living in poverty and carrying her own burdens. She was standing in front of an empire of secrets.

Not every missing persons case is taken seriously. Four anonymous calls say Jane Mercer has disappeared, but the police would rather wait to see if the twenty-two-year-old turns up on her own. Except the caller is no longer anonymous, and after what he witnessed, he’s adamant that she didn’t vanish by choice.

Missing persons isn’t the lane Detectives Ethan Holt and Ava Sinclair operate in. They’re homicide detectives, and by every official account, Jane Mercer is alive. Her own mother attests to that fact. But cleaning wasn’t all Jane was doing in the houses of her wealthy clients. Now that she’s gone, her secrets are being dragged into the light, and they’re bringing new victims with them.

Ethan needs this case to close quickly. A past he thought he’d buried is shifting back into focus, and Ava’s perspective is being clouded by her own prejudices, threatening to destroy their partnership. The wreckage is spiraling out of control, and the only thing known about Jane Mercer is that she’s worth more dead than she ever was alive.

Justice doesn’t always prevail. Sometimes it only decides who gets to walk away.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 31, 2026

About the author

Lee Dawna is a thriller, suspense, and fantasy author, and host of the Immortal Sunshine podcast. She weaves gripping tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats and delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche, exploring mysteries, secrets, and spine-chilling encounters.

Visit LeeDawnaBooks.com to join her mailing list, and connect with Lee on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube for exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses into her thrilling world.

Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

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Reviews

[Loispfl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t remember the last time a book took my breath away in an “oh wow I did NOT see that coming” way. The compelling story earned this its first four stars, especially for being a crime story that was not formulaic. The fifth star is for pulling off the multi-layered shocker(s) at the end. A thriller that is truly thrilling! 5/5

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sandy Goguen-Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harmony is a dark, unsettling and emotionally charged story, from page 1 to the end. Themes of family secrets, hidden motives and questionable choices. I never saw the twist at the end.

Thank you Book Sirens for this ARC book and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Estelle Bouldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening immediately creates a sense of unease, and the story only becomes more intense as the layers of secrets, violence, betrayal, and desperation begin to unfold.

Jane’s voice brings an emotional, deeply personal connection to the events, while Detective Ethan Holt’s chapters add another dimension as he tries to piece together what happened. Ethan is a particularly compelling character—flawed, haunted by his past, and determined to do the right thing even when the truth becomes increasingly difficult to uncover. His partnership with Ava adds some much-needed humor and personality to an otherwise very dark story.

The characters are complicated, and very few people are entirely what they first appear to be. The book explores abuse, manipulation, power, guilt, and the lengths people will go to protect themselves or the people they love. Some of the subject matter is disturbing, but it fits the tone of the story and gives the suspense real emotional weight.

There are several connected threads involving missing people, hidden motives, family secrets, and questionable choices, and the tension keeps building as those threads begin to come together.

This is definitely not a light or cozy read, but it is an absorbing one. Harmony is dark, unsettling, and emotionally charged, with enough twists and moral ambiguity to keep me guessing.

[Hridya H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the basic plot, and the setting. REALLY love the ending, i genuinely didnt think that would happen. The entire thing is quite dark and maybe kinda depressing, so like if any readers are expecting "Harmony" (hehe), u wont get it. I do wish it was fleshed out in the right places, cuz I felt like there is an uneven amount of description for different stuff. It takes like a huge amount of sentences, in describing the layout of some place. It kinda felt unnatural because I think it was like told like as a form of introspection by the character, uk? I felt that the buildup to the ending could have used like the amount of attention. I also wish it covered the mental turmoils of the victim and some other characters more, so one would be sucked into the story more, and it would also make the ending hit more, i believe. I felt the fleshing out of the character felt rushed, and the fleshing out of the world felt too much maybe. It had a rough start in the beginning I felt, long sentences with details crammed in it etc, but then the writing became smoother after like a couple chapters. I would reccommend this book, for its plot. But like uk, I won't scream from the rooftops to read this.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me gripped from the start. So much deception, physical and mental abuse, violence and death.

Each character has their own story which all seems to interlink somehow.

The individual chapter the characters helped build the story.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out… Bam! The ending completely floored me.

A great dark and twisty crime/thriller book. I will keep an eye out for more from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Jessika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC and holy h*ll was this a good book. I finished in a few hours and one sitting. I couldn’t put it down! The ending I was not even considering. The twists and turns. Reminds me of Freida McFadden books. I will follow this author again and again.

[Kimberly J Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of an innocent young woman named Jane with an evil mother that only looks after herself. Jane goes missing after being hurt by her mother and the twist will shock you!