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  • Published: 24 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780593549964
  • Imprint: Berkley
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $35.00

Try Not to Breathe




A young woman sets out to find her birth family, but she never guesses how dangerous it will be to succeed….

An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the shocking truth about her family...

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys. 

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there. 

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks. 

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that a secret is catching up to them—a secret at the very heart of their family history.

  • Published: 24 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780593549964
  • Imprint: Berkley
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $35.00

About the author

David Bell

DAVID BELL is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages. He’s currently a professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he directs the MFA program. His books have sold over 500,000 copies. She’s Gone is his YA debut.

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Praise for Try Not to Breathe

Praise for the novels of David Bell

“A terrifically tense thriller...will keep you guessing until the very end.”—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive the Night

“A tale straight out of the psychological thriller territory blazed by the likes of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner.”—The Providence Journal

“A dark, twisty journey...one of David Bell’s most unique and engrossing novels.”—Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife