The Girl Goes Home

The last time Emily Calby was in Dilfer County, Georgia, she was twelve years old, climbing out a window and running for her life, the only survivor of the famous Calby Murders. She went missing and never returned, shut out even thinking of her life in Georgia. Now twenty-four, she’s a law school graduate opening her own firm in Memphis, excited about a new start.

But the past never lets go. Back in Dilfer County, a hidden envelope found in the file cabinet of a dying lawyer cracks open a fifty-year-old vault of treachery surrounding her father. He died in a farm accident a year before the home invasion. Or did he? 

She returns to investigate, haunted by the ghosts of her childhood. The secrets she uncovers threaten everything she knows about her family, her very existence. As she works to untangle the mystery, powerful forces seek to block her every move. What are they trying to hide?

Each puzzle piece escalates the danger, not just to her, but everyone around her, including Meggie Tribet, the best friend she abandoned. In Emily’s fractured psyche, there are no limits to what, or who, she’s willing to sacrifice to protect them.

The Girl Goes Home is a standalone mystery-thriller in the multi-award-winning Emily Calby Series, featuring Dorian Box’s unique blend of darkness and light.

PRAISE AND AWARDS FOR THE EMILY CALBY SERIES

“Dark and gritty … an exceptional, heart-pounding story full of raw emotion, deep-seated fear, and an undercurrent of hope and innocence. Deeply atmospheric … without peer in contemporary mysteries/thrillers.” — Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Finalist in Mysteries & Thrillers

“In Emily, Author Dorian Box has created a rarity—a teenage protagonist that is at once sympathetic, vulnerable and largely fearless.” — BestThrillers.com (Best Psychological Thriller of the Year)

“The story that author Dorian Box has created for Emily Calby is nothing short of thrilling, but it’s the masterful interplay of character, setting, and theme, along with the fast pace and high emotional stakes that make this a real page-turner.” — IndieReader Discovery Award for Fiction

“You root for the lead, Emily, and stick with her throughout. Engaged me from the first page. Excellent story. Dark and grisly, yet a lot of hope comes with this one.” — Feathered Quill Medal for Mystery/Suspense

“A unique mix of hope, shattered innocence, pain, fear, and vulnerability … a great, suspenseful read.” — Readers’ Favorite Medal for Suspense Fiction

“A groundbreaking, nail-biting and wondrous legal thriller.” — Finalist, Best Legal Thriller of the Year (BestThrillers.com)

“What sets this book apart from the rest of the vigilante justice genre is its deep characterization of Emily and Lucas, and its honest look into the psychology of a fractured mind. Emily is a rare find in thriller fiction, a protagonist you’ll both cheer for and cry over.” — Bestselling author Andrew Diamond

“Emily is a bruised, broken, yet tough-as-nails character that readers will instantly root for ... The conflict in this novel is phenomenal, explored at different levels, but what had me turning the pages is the conflict that characterizes Emily’s inner world ... The book is a powerhouse.” — The Book Commentary

“The fast-paced plot races along in a brilliant combination of heartbreaking and hopeful. This would be an awesome TV series—Amazon Prime, are you listening?” — Dee DeTarsio, National Indie Excellence Award Winner

“[S]tandout sequel from Dorian Box featuring a fierce female main character, a perfectly planned and paced plot, and a strong sense of theme … Emily is a brilliant character; she is the perfect balance of admirable and flawed. ... Every scene is meaningful, which makes the book a true page-turner.” — IndieReader (5 Stars, IR Seal of Approval)

“Put this book down if you can. I couldn’t! ... Apart from the engaging, often disturbing events in both books, what fascinated me the most was the author’s superb ability to create then realistically follow Emily’s development from a victim of past tragedy to a near-master of her own life.” — Readers’ Favorite Medal for New Adult Fiction

“Once again, I’m floored, breathless, and sleep-deprived from racing through yet another harrowing and heartfelt adventure in the ever-dangerous life of young Emily Calby.” — NetGalley