"If you want to see your daughter alive again, listen carefully."

Praise for Scared to Death

“Thrilling start to a new series. Scared to Death is a stylish, smart and gripping crime thriller” Robert Bryndza, USA Today bestselling author of The Girl In The Ice

"Moves along at breakneck speed with twists and turns" ~ Angela Marsons, bestselling author of the Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series

"If you want to see your daughter alive again, listen carefully."

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.

But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.

When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.

With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.

For the killer, the game has only just begun...



Scared to Death is the first book in a new crime thriller series featuring Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…

If you like the Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons, Peter James' Roy Grace series and the Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza, discover Rachel Amphlett’s new detective novels today:

1. SCARED TO DEATH
2. WILL TO LIVE
3. ONE TO WATCH
4. HELL TO PAY
5. CALL TO ARMS

What people are saying about Scared to Death

“A fast-paced, deeply disturbing thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish” Books Of All Kinds

“Oohhh what a FANTASTIC beginning to a new series! This is dark and gritty, with surprises that I didn’t see coming.” Novel Gossip

“A dead body, a psychotic killer and an honest dependable detective ... If you like your crime fiction uncomplicated, fast-paced and real Scared to Death is the PERFECT read for you…” Swirl and Thread

“Extremely well-plotted, this really is a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat!” Jo’s Book Blog

“In this novel, I actually believed the reason for the killings. It was new, interesting, and made a refreshing amount of sense … reminded me at times of Chris Chibnall’s Broadchurch series” The Crime Review

“A really solid series opener, featuring Detective Kay Hunter … she’s definitely keeping the strong female detective fresh and alive!” It Takes A Woman

“A fast paced thriller of a story that draws you in from the start and will make your heart quicken!” The Great British Book Off

“A gutsy, fast and dark book that is packed full with unsuspecting twists. Moves at a relentless pace, with an intensely dark plot, featuring a top notch female protagonist.” Mrs B’s Book Reviews

“The murders shock, and the plot is pacey, twisting with action … with more than one surprise within it pages, Scared to Death will satisfy any lover of serial killer fiction” Postcard Reviews

"Hunter is a force to be reckoned with as she tries to find the vicious killer of a young woman. You might want to sleep with the lights on but it's worth the read!" ~ Goodreads