Guilty Hands
This Valentine’s Day, he isn't looking for romance—he’s hunting for retribution. He tracks down thieves, crossing them off his kill list one by one. But Rachel is a special case. She didn’t take money; she took something irreplaceable. For her, death is too easy. Instead, he infiltrates her life, watching from the shadows, determined to dismantle her world piece by piece before she even knows he's there.
- Rachel - Protagonist
- Gift Giver - The Valentine Killer, Rachel’s stalker
- Mandy - Rachel’s best friend
- Jennifer - The Gift Giver’s sister
- Avery - Rachel’s neighbor
- Devon - Rachel’s ex-boyfriend
- On Valentine’s Eve Rachel receives a package from her former stalker from two years ago; it’s a picture of her from the previous day.
- The next day at work, Rachel’s coworker opens an envelope on her desk and begins seizing and dies.
- Rachel sees news alerts about other mysterious deaths caused by opening gifts that morning.
- Rachel races home and as she approaches her door, Avery shows her a package with a note claiming it’s from her and asks if she sent it.
- She grabs the package and hurls it into the dumpster.
- Rachel realizes the Gift Giver is killing people and trying to frame her for it.
- Rachel answers her door to find the Gift Giver’s kill list left on her doorstep.
- Rachel goes to the police and shows them the kill list.
- The officer takes the list but brushes her off.
- Another package is dropped off on Rachel’s porch and she calls the police, but by the time they arrive the package is gone.
- Rachel receives a note that says, ‘I hope you enjoy the surprise in your backyard.’
- Mandy arrives and she and Rachel go into the backyard where they discover Devon’s body.
- Before Rachel can decide what to do, the police show up saying they received a report of a male screaming and need to check her backyard.
- Avery shows up and tells the cops he heard Rachel attacking Devon.
- Gift Giver: He goes to see Avery after promising to pay him to approach Rachel about the fake gift and blame her for arguing with Devon.
- Instead, the Gift Giver kills Avery with Rachel’s gun because two years earlier Avery approved a heart for Rachel that should have gone to Jennifer, causing Jennifer’s death.
- The Gift Giver makes sure some of Avery’s blood is on the gun and then returns it to Rachel’s house.
- The Gift Giver calls in a tip to police about seeing Rachel running out of Avery’s house with blood on her.
- The police search Rachel’s house, find the murder weapon and arrest her.
- Rachel uses her one phone call to ask Mandy to get footage from their latte place proving Rachel wasn’t home during Avery’s murder.
- Epilogue: Six months later
- Rachel spent twenty-two days in jail before the truth came out.
- Mandy delivers the footage that frees Rachel.
- The investigation is ongoing but the killer’s identity is still unknown.
I really enjoyed the writing style in Guilty Hands. It’s a short book, but the story is tense and fast-paced so it grips you right away. The POV jumps between Rachel and the Gift Giver were intense but intriguing—you spend half the time thinking "this person is crazy" and the other half wondering what actually drove him to be like this.
The standout for me was definitely the "why"—it was absolutely mind-blowing and did such a great job of blurring the lines between love and insanity. If you're looking for a quick, intense Valentine Day read, this is it.
- Stalking
- Murder
Publisher: Independently published
ISBN: 9798278632764
Publication Date: January 16, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
