Ben Harper: Book 3
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
The headlights blind me as the cab pulls away, but I catch a glimpse of my friend’s carefully made-up face before the car disappears into the darkness. If I knew that was the last time I’d see her, I might have recognised the fear in her beautiful green eyes.
Madeleine is a whip-smart journalist and one of my dearest friends. So when she doesn’t come back into work after a particularly tense birthday dinner, I begin to panic. Then I get a message that chills me to the bone: It’s time to settle the score. Call the police and she’s dead.
Madeleine’s beaten face stares back at me from the photo, and my heart hammers at the spark of recognition in her eyes. She knows her attacker. Madeleine was always the first to get any story, and the last to worry about her own safety. She made a lot of enemies in her career, but who would want to kill her?
Digging into her past, I discover details of a chilling murder case from twenty years ago. Madeleine launched it into national headlines and helped put a man away for murder. As I press her friends and contacts for more, a detail lets slip that explains everything: someone else was there the night the murder took place. Someone Madeleine may pay with her life to protect.
As I close in on answers, her kidnapper changes the game. He gives me a demand for two million in cash, or I will never see Madeleine again. Time is running out. I need to unpick the lies of the past to find out the truth before another precious life is taken…
A pulse-racing new crime novel with jaw-dropping twists that will have you constantly wondering ‘what happens next?’ Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot.
When a veteran reporter disappears, it’s up to Ben Harper to race against the clock for clues.
Author Robert Gold delivers the third installment of the series featuring Ben in Ten Seconds. For optimal enjoyment, it is recommended to read the series in order since there are multiple recurring characters and storylines.
With Madeline apparently a victim of kidnapping coinciding with the release of a murderer she publicly condemned, Ben uncovers a deadly secret. It’s a race against time to see if he and the authorities can reach Madeline before it is too late.
Through a dual narrative, the author builds the back story of a boy caught up in a cycle of neglect. He’s desperately attached to his little brother. It’s not until the two stories overlap that the true impact is realized.
Ten Seconds offers a fast-paced thriller packed with intensity.
Robert Gold is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Ben Harper series, which includes Twelve Secrets , a Richard and Judy Book Club pick , Eleven Liars and Ten Seconds. Originally from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Robert Gold began his career as an intern at the American broadcaster CNN, based in Washington DC. He returned to Yorkshire to work for the retailer ASDA, becoming the chain’s nationwide book buyer. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company. Robert now lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in his thrillers.
