Prey Before Bed

Best Psychological Thriller in the United States of 2025, Evergreen Awards

Steve Balam is the man everyone trusts-a sharp financial advisor, devoted husband, and proud father living out the suburban dream in Atlanta. But behind the polished suits and warm family dinners lurks something else: a mind built for control, and a hunger for killing that won't be tamed.

He's a serial killer with a system so perfect that innocent men go to prison while he walks free-planting DNA from unsuspecting massage parlor clients at each crime scene. For years, he's been untouchable-a ghost. Until one frightened insider threatens to blow his secrets wide open.

As Detective John Grimm gets closer, Balam's carefully constructed world starts to crack. The deeper Grimm digs, the uglier the truth becomes. With his double life at risk, Balam will do anything to keep it hidden-and the innocent will pay the price. One slip could bring his empire, and his freedom, crashing down.

Dark, relentless, and disturbingly real, Prey Before Bed pulls you into a world where real monsters wear charming smiles-and no one is safe. You'll be left wondering just how well we really know the people we trust the most.