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Lucinda Berry’s new book One in Four follows former child stars on a reality TV show to kick their addictions
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When one of them turns up dead, their doctor has to figure out whodunnit
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Read more in an exclusive excerpt from the new book
A reality show about former child stars overcoming their addictions: what could go wrong?
When one of them dies — while the cameras are still rolling, no less — readers find out just how high the stakes can get in Lucinda Berry’s One in Four. The story follows a mansion full of attention-starved narcissists, whose time away from the spotlight that dominated their youth has not been kind to them.
Dr. Laurel Harlow, a chemical dependency counselor with ties to the director, has some reservations about joining the show. The good doctor has secrets of her own, so when the worst happens, she’s determined to find the predator among them before an investigation blows her own past wide open in the process.
Intrigued yet? Read on for an exclusive excerpt from One in Four.
Thomas & Mercer
‘One in Four’ by Lucinda Berry
CHAPTER TWO
I stood just outside the yellow tape with my phone in my hand, replaying the video of Maddie stumbling out of her bathroom over and over again, like I’d been doing for the last 20 minutes, ever since the police officer brought me over here and told me to stay put. They’d taken the video down. Halted all production on the show, but not before people had saved it. They were putting it up on all the social media platforms faster than it could get taken down.
Besides the bathroom, every single room in the house had multiple cameras, including their bedrooms. At 12:42 a.m., Maddie’s bathroom door opens, and she falls to her knees as soon as it does, spilling her into the hallway of her bedroom. She tumbles onto the carpeted floor, both hands gripping her head. One on each side. Blood pouring through her fingers. She tries to get up from her knees, but falls every time, until finally she just gives up and crumples on the ground like a wounded animal. Seventeen long seconds pass while she lies there motionless. Blood draining out of her head. You can’t help thinking she’s dead. I hold my breath just like I do every time I watch it. Even though I know exactly how the video ends, I keep hoping there’s a different outcome.
But there’s not.
At 18 seconds, Maddie’s body convulses like she’s suddenly shocked with electricity. Violent, bloody seizures, one right after the other, pummel her tiny frame. Or maybe just one long continuous one. It’s so hard to tell from the video. And then there comes the sound. The terrible crack her skull makes as it bashes against the wall behind her. Unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. A loud, deafening crack where there’s no mistaking a bone breaks. It woke Preston first. He’s there almost immediately. Rushing into the room and finding her flopping on the ground like a fish that’s been tossed on shore and desperately trying to get back into the water. She writhes and flails about. It’s so hard to watch, but as with any bad accident, I want to cover my eyes, and yet, I can’t look away.
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Spencer arrives next. He lets out a bloodcurdling scream at the sight of her. That’s when chaos ensues. Staff flies into the room. Everyone’s up. Someone else screams. It sounds like Javon. Then Tripp darts into the hallway. He’s the last thing you see before the screen goes dark. Before someone finally cuts off all the live video feeds.
I looked up, eyeing the front door of Crystal Meadows for any change in activity, hoping whoever was in charge would come out and let me in, or at least give me some answers. But there wasn’t anything going on. From the outside, Crystal Meadows looked like every other sprawling ranch on the block. Unless you lived in the neighborhood, you’d have no idea it’s home to the most-watched reality TV show in America right now. It was the one thing about the show we’d managed to keep a secret. It helped that it was a gated community too. We’d chosen that on purpose. Taken every step possible to protect the confidentiality and privacy of our clients, which seemed a bit absurd given they were going to be living their entire lives in front of the camera.
But it was for their safety. Not really their privacy. Every celebrity — no matter how small — had at least one stalker or someone obsessed with them, and no fan was creepier or scarier than the ones obsessed with child stars. Even though our clients were grown, in the eyes of their fans, they’d always be kids. It’s why the neighbors were just as invested in keeping their location quiet. They weren’t any more interested in that kind of scary pedo fan stumbling into their space than we were.
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The coroner had been parked in the driveway for an hour, and nothing had been wheeled out. A couple of guys dressed in hazmat gear went in, but besides that, it’d been quiet. Police officers put up a barricade at the end of the block once other news vans started showing up. Nobody was in their houses anymore. Everyone filled the streets. A few minutes ago, a woman across the street started bringing people coffee like it was some kind of sunrise block party.
Did it usually take this long to bring out a body? Was it really Maddie?
The front door opened, interrupting my thoughts. Two officers flanked Gia as she finally stepped outside the house. She looked like she’d aged overnight. Her face was pale and gaunt. Eyes wide. Pupils dilated with shock. Half her dark hair in a ponytail and the other part haphazardly sticking out everywhere. Wearing only a tank top, like she’d gotten too hot and taken off all her other clothes. Her jeans slung low on her hips. Her always-present combat boots. Totally appropriate for the situation, because she looked like she’d been to war inside that house. I’ve never seen her so wrecked. She was always so put together.
“Gia!” I yelled out to her, waving my hand wildly like I was behind a security line at a rock concert and she was the talent whose attention I was desperately trying to get.
She spotted me immediately and broke free of the officers, running straight to me. She threw herself into my arms like she’d been waiting to fall apart. Silent sobs shook her small frame while she hid her head in my chest. I held her tight as she cried, but it was only a few moments before she pulled herself back and wiped her face with her hands. Thick mascara coated the skin underneath her eyes.
“It’s Maddie,” she said, struggling to control her emotions. “She’s gone, Laurel. Maddie’s gone.”
Adapted from ONE IN FOUR by Lucinda Berry, published by Thomas & Mercer. Copyright © 2024 by Lucinda Berry. Reprinted courtesy of Amazon Publishing.
One in Four by Lucinda Berry is on sale now, wherever books are sold.
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