Close Your Eyes and Count to 10
Maverick Dillan, charismatic daredevil turned reality-show impresario, invites contestants to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek-on a remote island, in an abandoned luxury hotel. But what begins as a lucrative social-media stunt quickly devolves into a chilling race for survival when a violent storm strikes and unseen forces begin to pick them off one by one.
Enter Adele-a resilient single mother who's clawed her way back from loss and reinvention. When her children urge her to join the competition, she sees a chance at a fresh start-and a lifeline for her family.
Amid the whirling chaos of wind and rain, deception reigns and allegiances shatter. In a twisted maze of truth and illusion, Adele must decide whom to trust-and whether escape is even possible. Because when the countdown begins, the only person you can count on may be yourself.
- Maverick (Mav) - Social media star/ Game coordinator
- Chloe - Participant in a previous hide and seek game who went missing
- Adele - Protagonist/game participant
- Angeline - Mav's girlfriend/employee
- Alex, Tavo and Hector - Work for Mav
- A tropical storm threatens, but the contestants refuse evacuation.
- Mav is accused of rigging the game, abusing Chloe, and hiding missing company money.
- Alex's body is found; Mav, Angeline, and Tavo cover it up instead of calling police.
- Angeline is kidnapped.
- Twist: the kidnappers are Chloe, Hector, and Tavo - working together against Mav.
- They accuse Mav of stealing $2M and secretly planning to sell the company.
- The building collapses during the confrontation; Tavo is killed.
- Soldiers arrive and help the survivors escape through tunnels.
- Chloe and Hector masterminded the kidnapping to expose Mav's corruption.
- Chloe staged her own disappearance and could face charges.
- Hector killed Alex.
- Mav and Angeline try to flee with the money but are caught.
- Maverick (Mav) - Alive - Arrested for his crimes
- Angeline - Alive - Arrested for her crimes
- Chloe - Alive - Likely to serve jail time for falsifying a police report
- Adele - Alive - Happy to be home with her children
- Alex - Dead - Killed by Hector
- Tavo - Dead - Killed in the building collapse
- Hector - Alive - Uncertain
- Miller - Alive - Turns himself in to the police
- Murder
- Bullying
- Infidelity
- Abandonment
- Mental Illness
- Suicide attempt
Publisher: Park Row
ISBN: 9780778333364
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
