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Lips
How do you catch a killer who already knows the law better than the people sworn to enforce it?
Toronto wakes to a crime scene so meticulously staged it leaves even veteran homicide detectives unsettled. Two bodies. No obvious motive. No forensic trail. Only one haunting each victim's lips have been painted a perfect crimson red.
The media quickly christens the murderer The Crimson Killer, but while the city searches for a monster, someone else is quietly watching the investigation unfold from the inside.
Jennifer Glowski is one of Toronto's most respected criminal lawyers. Brilliant. Composed. Untouchable. She has spent her career mastering the legal system, understanding the people who manipulate it, and winning cases others believed were impossible. She knows how guilt hides behind confidence, how truth is buried beneath procedure, and how justice often fails long before a verdict is ever reached.
Leading the investigation is Detective Sergeant Nathan Vane, a homicide investigator whose greatest weapon isn't instinct, but patience. While everyone around him rushes toward the obvious suspect, Vane refuses to believe easy answers. He sees patterns others dismiss. Tiny inconsistencies. The smallest details that refuse to fit. Every step he takes brings him closer to a truth no one is prepared to face.
As the body count rises, old cases begin resurfacing, forgotten deaths are pulled from dusty archives, and a terrifying possibility emerges. This may not be the beginning of a killing spree.
It may be the end of one that has been hidden for decades.
Set against the power towers of Toronto's legal elite, LIPS is a relentless psychological thriller where manipulation is an art, intelligence is the deadliest weapon, and justice can become the perfect disguise for evil.
Nothing is random.
Nothing is forgotten.
And the person hunting the killer may be the only one intelligent enough to recognize them... if they survive long enough to do it.
Perfect for readers of dark psychological suspense, serial killer thrillers, police procedurals, legal thrillers, criminal profiling, forensic investigations, cat-and-mouse mysteries, and intelligent crime fiction, LIPS will keep you questioning every motive, every character, and every page until its unforgettable conclusion.
Because the most dangerous killers aren't the ones who lose control.
They're the ones who never do.
Toronto wakes to a crime scene so meticulously staged it leaves even veteran homicide detectives unsettled. Two bodies. No obvious motive. No forensic trail. Only one haunting each victim's lips have been painted a perfect crimson red.
The media quickly christens the murderer The Crimson Killer, but while the city searches for a monster, someone else is quietly watching the investigation unfold from the inside.
Jennifer Glowski is one of Toronto's most respected criminal lawyers. Brilliant. Composed. Untouchable. She has spent her career mastering the legal system, understanding the people who manipulate it, and winning cases others believed were impossible. She knows how guilt hides behind confidence, how truth is buried beneath procedure, and how justice often fails long before a verdict is ever reached.
Leading the investigation is Detective Sergeant Nathan Vane, a homicide investigator whose greatest weapon isn't instinct, but patience. While everyone around him rushes toward the obvious suspect, Vane refuses to believe easy answers. He sees patterns others dismiss. Tiny inconsistencies. The smallest details that refuse to fit. Every step he takes brings him closer to a truth no one is prepared to face.
As the body count rises, old cases begin resurfacing, forgotten deaths are pulled from dusty archives, and a terrifying possibility emerges. This may not be the beginning of a killing spree.
It may be the end of one that has been hidden for decades.
Set against the power towers of Toronto's legal elite, LIPS is a relentless psychological thriller where manipulation is an art, intelligence is the deadliest weapon, and justice can become the perfect disguise for evil.
Nothing is random.
Nothing is forgotten.
And the person hunting the killer may be the only one intelligent enough to recognize them... if they survive long enough to do it.
Perfect for readers of dark psychological suspense, serial killer thrillers, police procedurals, legal thrillers, criminal profiling, forensic investigations, cat-and-mouse mysteries, and intelligent crime fiction, LIPS will keep you questioning every motive, every character, and every page until its unforgettable conclusion.
Because the most dangerous killers aren't the ones who lose control.
They're the ones who never do.
342 pages, Paperback
Published September 11, 2026
About the author
Carter Vale
4 books4 followersCarter Vale writes psychological thrillers and true crime shaped by one belief: the most disturbing stories are the ones that could happen.
His journey as an author began after surviving a deeply personal true-crime experience that changed the course of his life. What started as an attempt to make sense of those events became Above the Deep 6, a memoir that explores trauma, survival, and the search for truth. The experience also revealed something unexpected, a passion for storytelling that would grow far beyond a single book.
Today, Carter brings that same authenticity to fiction. His novels explore obsession, deception, and the quiet darkness that can exist beneath ordinary lives. Rather than relying on spectacle or gratuitous violence, he builds suspense through atmosphere, psychological tension, and characters whose choices feel unsettlingly real. His stories ask a simple question: What happens when the person everyone trusts is hiding the unimaginable?
Whether writing memoir or fiction, Carter believes the strongest stories leave readers questioning what they thought they understood about human nature. Every book is an invitation to look beneath the surface, where the most dangerous secrets are often hidden in plain sight.
"The most frightening stories aren't the ones we imagine. They're the ones we recognize."
His journey as an author began after surviving a deeply personal true-crime experience that changed the course of his life. What started as an attempt to make sense of those events became Above the Deep 6, a memoir that explores trauma, survival, and the search for truth. The experience also revealed something unexpected, a passion for storytelling that would grow far beyond a single book.
Today, Carter brings that same authenticity to fiction. His novels explore obsession, deception, and the quiet darkness that can exist beneath ordinary lives. Rather than relying on spectacle or gratuitous violence, he builds suspense through atmosphere, psychological tension, and characters whose choices feel unsettlingly real. His stories ask a simple question: What happens when the person everyone trusts is hiding the unimaginable?
Whether writing memoir or fiction, Carter believes the strongest stories leave readers questioning what they thought they understood about human nature. Every book is an invitation to look beneath the surface, where the most dangerous secrets are often hidden in plain sight.
"The most frightening stories aren't the ones we imagine. They're the ones we recognize."
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 2, 2026
A war of the minds. Who is smarter? Who is more calculating? And ultimately… who can outwit the other? Those were just some of the thoughts running through my mind while reading this book.
As someone who has been reading thrillers for years, I can say without hesitation that this is not your average psychological thriller. It is dark, incredibly unique, and written in a way that makes you question, analyze, and reflect on everything you think you know.
From the very beginning, this book hits the ground running and completely pulls you in. And the further you get, the more addictive it becomes. You’re given an unsettling glimpse into the mind of a killer while simultaneously following the cat-and-mouse game unfolding throughout the investigation. The tension, psychological complexity, and constant sense that there is always something more beneath the surface kept me completely captivated.
And then there’s the author’s writing style…which, in my opinion, is one of the things that makes this book stand out. Rather than simply telling you what’s happening, the author shows you, allowing you to experience the story and piece things together for yourself. It made the entire reading experience feel incredibly immersive.
I devoured this book. I genuinely could not put it down, and I’m already looking forward to reading more from this author.
This one is truly a diamond in the rough and deserves SO much more attention from thriller readers. If you love dark, thought-provoking psychological thrillers that get inside your head and refuse to let go, add this one to your TBR.
As someone who has been reading thrillers for years, I can say without hesitation that this is not your average psychological thriller. It is dark, incredibly unique, and written in a way that makes you question, analyze, and reflect on everything you think you know.
From the very beginning, this book hits the ground running and completely pulls you in. And the further you get, the more addictive it becomes. You’re given an unsettling glimpse into the mind of a killer while simultaneously following the cat-and-mouse game unfolding throughout the investigation. The tension, psychological complexity, and constant sense that there is always something more beneath the surface kept me completely captivated.
And then there’s the author’s writing style…which, in my opinion, is one of the things that makes this book stand out. Rather than simply telling you what’s happening, the author shows you, allowing you to experience the story and piece things together for yourself. It made the entire reading experience feel incredibly immersive.
I devoured this book. I genuinely could not put it down, and I’m already looking forward to reading more from this author.
This one is truly a diamond in the rough and deserves SO much more attention from thriller readers. If you love dark, thought-provoking psychological thrillers that get inside your head and refuse to let go, add this one to your TBR.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Firstly thank you Carter for allowing me to read this Arc.
This is a character driven murder thriller that feels like it goes through several phases. At first I was a little thrown off with the cinematic writing style (This is no fault of the author and I believe more so that im not used to this style of writting).
Then when you think you've got a handle on what's going on it flips - but flips in such a quiet way that I questioned whether I was right or not.
Then when you think "ah yeah ok now I know what's going on" and your plodding along nicely it flips again.
The characters are written well and how I felt about the MFC changed from throughout the book to the end.
This is a good thriller that is written in such a quiet, subtle, sneaks up on you kind of way that will leave you feeling like your gaslighting yourself. Solid 4 Star.
This is a character driven murder thriller that feels like it goes through several phases. At first I was a little thrown off with the cinematic writing style (This is no fault of the author and I believe more so that im not used to this style of writting).
Then when you think you've got a handle on what's going on it flips - but flips in such a quiet way that I questioned whether I was right or not.
Then when you think "ah yeah ok now I know what's going on" and your plodding along nicely it flips again.
The characters are written well and how I felt about the MFC changed from throughout the book to the end.
This is a good thriller that is written in such a quiet, subtle, sneaks up on you kind of way that will leave you feeling like your gaslighting yourself. Solid 4 Star.
Review of advance copy received from Author
So this book was definitely different to anything i have ever read!
This was a unique take on a game of cat and mouse, where both players were highly intelligent. We follow a serial killer with a reasoning that i feel people will relate with. ( yes i questioned my morals! Lol) And a signature that will give you chills!
We also follow the detective who is probably the only one to ever ask the right questions! But just when you think you have it all figured out, you dont! This authors reading style did take me a while to adjust to, but with a story this well played out it was hard to stop reading.
I feel like if you figure out the twists, you may be an evil genius!
This was a unique take on a game of cat and mouse, where both players were highly intelligent. We follow a serial killer with a reasoning that i feel people will relate with. ( yes i questioned my morals! Lol) And a signature that will give you chills!
We also follow the detective who is probably the only one to ever ask the right questions! But just when you think you have it all figured out, you dont! This authors reading style did take me a while to adjust to, but with a story this well played out it was hard to stop reading.
I feel like if you figure out the twists, you may be an evil genius!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book is so good the details of the murder the red lips the 2 glasses of wine I really thought I had this and knew but I guessed wrong I did not see that coming at all fantastic writing and keeps you wanting more right till the end waiting in the next book
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is one of those books that keeps you turning the page. The twist at the end was perfect!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews