Sam Middleton grew up believing he was a bad child. Evil. After all, that was what his father said about him when he thought Sam couldn’t overhear. To Sam, his anxiety and failures at school were just more proof that he was born rotten.
On a semester abroad at the Sorbonne, out from under his dad’s withering gaze and abuse for the first time, Sam is able to see himself as a good guy—or at least a not-so-bad guy. When he meets Maddie, he falls head over heels in love. Maddie’s underlying sadness tugs at his heartstrings, and being good, kind, and protective come naturally to Sam for the first time.
But back in the States, a long-held family secret threatens to derail the couple’s plans to make a life together. Can their love triumph over the tangled, unspeakable evil rooted deep in Sam’s family tree, or will what’s bred deep in the bone drive them to ruin?
Praise for Where Evil Lives
“In today’s society, we mourn what seems like an endless stream of preventable tragedies. Evil walks among us, and we want to know why and how to stop it. Is it nature—or nurture—that drives humans to psychopathic behavior? Ellie Dias’s debut novel takes this as its premise: the egocentrism, lack of empathy, and criminal tendencies that mark the psychopath are genetic. External factors like abuse and bullying tip the scales. Unless they don’t.”
-Tracy Lawson, author of Answering Liberty’s Call: Anna Stone’s Daring Ride to Valley Forge
“A dark secret. A hidden curse. Where Evil Lives by Ellie Dias is a gripping psychological thriller that will bring you deep into the hearts of the Middleton family grappling with a violent history. As a new generation grows to adulthood, they must face the reality that they may never escape the evil lurking within.”
–Cheryl C. Malandrinos, The Book Connection