A World of Hurt

by Mindy Mejia

Overview

When someone dies to save your life, how do you ever forgive them?

A World of Hurt is Mindy Mejia's highly-anticipated follow-up to the “propulsive” USA Today bestselling thriller To Catch a Storm where an Iowa City police officer and a DEA informant must work together to hunt down the remains of a hidden drug empire.

Kara Johnson always knew she’d die young and violently. It didn’t matter who delivered the final blow, she would deserve it—her years spent running drugs and spreading violence would guarantee it. But death doesn’t always go as planned. When her girlfriend sacrifices herself to save Kara’s life, Kara is left grieving and adrift. She doesn’t know why she’s alive until the DEA shows up and offers her a choice: go to prison or turn informant to lure out the last of the drug trafficking ring that murdered her girlfriend.

Max Summerlin is the kind of cop who needs answers—he’s been shot twice in the last year while looking for them. Despite his family’s objections and his struggle with chronic pain, he accepts an invitation from the DEA task force eagerly. That is, until he realizes he’ll be babysitting reformed drug trafficker Kara Johnson as she goes undercover.

Max knows Kara is keeping secrets. Kara doesn’t trust anyone, let alone Max. But the cop and the criminal will have to find a way to work together fast, because they aren’t the only ones hunting down the remains of a drug empire. And the kingpin who lurks in the shadows will stop at nothing to win.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802163110
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	73,095
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

MINDY MEJIA is a CPA and a graduate of the Hamline UniversityMFA program. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family, and is the author of Strike Me Down, Everything You Want Me to Be, Leave No Trace, and To Catch a Storm.

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/03/2024

For the nerve-shredding sequel to To Catch a Storm, Mejia shifts her focus from psychic PI Jonah Kendrick to his college friend, Iowa City cop Max Summerlin, and Kara Johnson, the lover of Kendrick’s late niece, Celina. Summerlin is eager to get back in the field after recovering from gunshot wounds he sustained while breaking up an opioid ring run by Sam Olson. The officer gets his chance when he’s tapped to join a task force looking for a hit man who’s been killing people connected to Olson’s operation. Summerlin is deflated, however, when he learns he’s been recruited as a liaison for Johnson, who ran drugs for Olson before becoming an informant. Johnson, who was born with a condition that makes her unable to feel physical pain, is grieving the loss of Celina, whom Olson killed after she took the fall for Johnson’s informing. Neither Johnson nor Summerlin is thrilled about their partnership, but each learns from the other as they make a run at Olson and the hit man targeting him. Mejia maintains breathless suspense as she fleshes out the combative dynamic between her captivating leads. For crime fiction fans, it’s a must-read. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Susan Lea Assoc. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

One of CrimeReads, Criminal Element & Deadly Pleasure Mystery Magazine's Most Anticipated Mysteries of 2024!

Praise for A World of Hurt:

"[N]erve-shredding . . . Mejia maintains breathless suspense as she fleshes out the combative dynamic between her captivating leads. For crime fiction fans, it’s a must-read."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A]n incredibly humane page-turner that stands on its own from its predecessor, though readers of the first will welcome appearances from psychic PI Jonah Kendrick and physicist Eve Roth. This thoroughly Midwestern thriller features well-drawn characters, a détente in a cornfield, and an ending readers won't see coming."—Booklist

 "Mejia has crafted an intense and emotional novel. Max and Kara’s almost paternal relationship is antagonistic but also layered and realistic. It’s a terrific scenario as the two are forced to rely on each other as the people they would normally reach out to for support crumble. Paranoia and deceit follow."—Jeff Ayers, Library Journal

"Filled with twists and turns, duplicity and miscalculations, A World of Hurt is a dark tale with emotional depth that will keep you guessing to the end. Heart-pumping, anxiety-inducing and thought-provoking stuff."—​Steve Netter, Best Thriller Books

"Mindy Mejia is the dark voice of the Heartland. Her stories capture perfectly the beauty of the Midwest while conjuring all the unsettling possibilities that lurk beneath. There are few authors who can twist the ordinary into such frightening and compelling scenarios, and Mindy Mejia tops that list." —William Kent Krueger

Praise for To Catch a Storm:

“Mejia delivers her best work yet in this propulsive, intelligent page-turner. . . Mejia gives Eve and Jonah uncommon depth, which makes their potentially clichéd skeptic/believer dynamic feel surprisingly fresh. . . This indelible thriller has series potential.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The teaming of a woman who relies on science and a man who depends on the speculative provides a solid plot that literally hits the ground running as To Catch a Storm moves in unexpected directions . . . Mejia digs deep to show the humanity and motivations of Eve and Jonah and how they relate to each other . . . Eve’s reliance on ‘data’ and Jonah’s ‘gift’ will challenge each to re-evaluate their lives. Readers will want to catch Mejia’s unique approach in To Catch a Storm.”—Sun Sentinel

“[P]ropulsive . . . Mejia sets things up nicely for further teamwork and conflict between Jonah and Eve, at the nexus point of what we can — and choose to — believe in.”—New York Times

“Mejia has created a tangled web seen through the eyes of Eve, Jonah, and Max that extends far beyond two missing people. The story ricochets between the laws of physics and psychic dreams as Eve and Jonah work together, with Max circling around them. Love, lies, deceit, and violence unfold as Eve ruthlessly looks for her husband over the course of a few days. An intense, adrenaline-fueled thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] taut thriller that balances scientific research and a plot that just won’t quit. Give to fans of chilling, chilly, plot-driven thrillers with strong characters.”—Booklist

“A lot of people may think of the Midwest as nothing but placid fields of corn and soybeans. Mindy Mejia’s stunning new thriller will change that. Set during a deadly ice storm, Mejia’s story rushes across the frozen Iowa landscape in a fury of fire and a hail of bullets. I finished To Catch a Storm in two sittings. If I didn’t have to sleep, I’d have done it in one. Swear to God, this book is absolutely unputdownable.”—William Kent Kreuger, New York Times bestselling author

“Clear your calendar and find a comfortable chair because you won’t want to stop once you start reading this character-driven thriller! It’s got it all: a twisty plot, original and complex characters, and an immersive setting that drops you into the center of the action. To Catch a Storm is absolutely riveting.”—Jess Lourey, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Quarry Girls

“To Catch a Storm is a breathless tempest of a thriller. I was swept away by the nonstop action and utterly invested in Mindy Mejia’s rich, believable cast of characters. With deep compassion and insight, Mejia weaves seemingly contradictory worldviews (that of a physicist and psychic) into a captivating and timely story that hits all the right notes. An outstanding read.”—Nicole Baart, bestselling author of Everything We Didn’t Say and The Long Way Back

“To Catch a Storm starts with a bang; the tension ratcheting up to its heart-pounding climax. Rich with beautiful descriptions and a well-plotted mystery, I couldn’t put this book down. I inhaled it in one breathless gulp. If you love action-packed suspense with interesting, well-drawn characters and a plot twist you do not see coming, you’ll want to pick this one up.”—Amber Garza, author of When I Was You

From the Publisher

05/01/2024

In her latest thriller (following To Catch a Storm), Mejia explores the opposite lives of a young woman named Kara and an Iowa cop named Max, who must work together to bring down a criminal enterprise. Kara is battling grief and intent on revenge after her lover died protecting her from a drug kingpin. Max gets an assignment to work with a DEA task force to dismantle a drug ring, and Kara is the key. They are going undercover, and Max needs to become a great babysitter. The circumstances rapidly change, and Kara and Max must rely on each other to complete the mission and survive. Mejia has crafted an intense and emotional novel. Max and Kara's almost paternal relationship is antagonistic but also layered and realistic. It's a terrific scenario as the two are forced to rely on each other as the people they would normally reach out to for support crumble. Paranoia and deceit follow. VERDICT Readers who enjoy crime novels that are gritty and not one-sided will want to add this to their TBR piles.—Jeff Ayers

Library Journal