As a former police officer and a psychic detective, Max Summerlin and Jonah Kendrick may not be the most conventional business partners. But together, they have years of investigative experience, and opening Celina Investigations feels like a natural decision.

When a man walks into their office searching for his missing girlfriend without a past or even a name, Max and Jonah realize their newest client may present their hardest challenge yet. Their first task: find out why he refuses to go to the police.

Meanwhile, a woman drives across the country with all her belongings packed into a car, desperate to escape a dark past. The question posed to the fleeing woman is the same one that keeps Max and Jonah awake at night: can you ever really change your life?

From an 80’s-inspired bakery to a horrifying house at the edge of the woods, Max and Jonah unearth the missing woman’s shocking past, and in the process, put themselves directly in the path of the terror she was trying to outrun.

Praise for Mindy Mejia:

“An unlikely partnership, solid action and the effects of grief swirl in the gripping A World of Hurt, the second in Mindy Mejia’s new Iowa Mysteries series. A World of Hurt is a story about deep, unwavering friendship, even in the face of adversity, and about accepting someone who, at first, seems diametrically opposite to you . . . Mejia balances the explosive action in A World of Hurt with a look at how grief can consume a person. Mejia creates a workable, believable partnership between Max and Kara, two characters who initially dislike each other, without sacrificing either’s personality.”—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel

“Mejia sets this book during peak pandemic time, a reminder that it’s not just Kara and Max who are in pain, but the entire world . . . What makes Mejia so good is that besides being an ace writer of violent action sequences and original plotlines, she’s also a complex thinker. Her books are unusually well developed in terms of character—you know she’s created a whole backstory for even the minor ones—and her interest in science, whether it’s the physics in To Catch a Storm or the more medical and zoological kind in this book, is contagious and adds memorable breadth to her work.”—Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail

“[M]uscular Midwest noir: cynical, violent, existential . . . [Kara]’s one of the most intriguing, broken, bad-ass characters I’ve read recently. She drives the novel’s crazy-intense plot with her questionable choices and queer-focused, feminist point of view.”—Carole E. Barrowman, Star Tribune

“[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