“Once Stalked” is the ninth book in Blake Pierce’s popular Riley Paige Mystery series. It tells the story of FBI Special Agent Riley Paige, a brilliant but emotionally complicated investigator who solves difficult murder cases while struggling to balance her dangerous job with her responsibilities as a mother. This book features two main storylines that run side by side: a sniper killing soldiers at a military base, and Riley’s dangerous secret relationship with an escaped killer named Shane Hatcher. The story is exciting, emotional, and full of unexpected twists that keep readers guessing until the very end.
The Military Base Murders Begin
The book opens at Fort Nash Mowat, a U.S. Army training base in Southern California. Early one morning, a drill sergeant named Clifford Worthing steps outside his barracks for a cigarette, and is instantly killed by a single bullet to the head fired from long distance. This is the third such killing in less than three weeks. Two other drill sergeants, Rolsky and Fraser, were murdered the same way: precise headshots during nighttime hours, with no witnesses and no clear suspect. The Army’s investigators have no leads, so they ask the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) for help.
At the same time, Riley Paige is being honored at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, for solving an old cold case. Though she receives an award for her work, Riley feels uneasy about the attention. She’s hiding a dangerous secret: she helped an escaped convict named Shane Hatcher get away after he saved her family’s lives in a previous case. Hatcher has been living secretly in her father’s empty cabin in the mountains, and Riley has been visiting him, breaking serious laws and risking her career.
Riley has two teenage daughters she’s trying to raise well: fifteen-year-old April and thirteen-year-old Jilly, whom she is in the process of officially adopting. She’s also starting to date a kind restaurant owner named Blaine Hildreth. But her work constantly pulls her away from her family, creating tension and guilt.
Riley Takes the Case
When Riley’s boss, Team Chief Brent Meredith, assigns her to the Fort Mowat sniper case, she’s torn. Her daughter Jilly has a school play that evening, and Riley promised to attend. After some soul-searching, Riley makes a mature decision, she delays her trip to the military base so she can watch Jilly perform. This small choice shows how Riley is slowly learning to put her family first sometimes, instead of always choosing work.
Riley travels to the base with her longtime partner, Bill Jeffreys (a fatherly, experienced agent), and Lucy Vargas (a young, eager agent Riley has been mentoring). They immediately face resistance from Colonel Dutch Adams, the base commander, who doesn’t respect women in authority and makes his discomfort clear. They find a slightly more helpful ally in Colonel Dana Larson, who runs the base’s criminal investigation office, but even she seems more interested in closing the case quickly than finding the real killer.
Riley quickly realizes the military’s main theory, that Islamic extremists are behind the killings, is wrong. The precision of the shots, the timing, and the choice of victims all suggest someone with military training who has a personal reason to hate these specific drill sergeants.
A Break in the Case
While investigating, Riley meets a difficult young soldier named Private Stanley Pope. At first, Pope tries to intimidate Riley on a seaside cliff, but she easily overpowers him. Later, he approaches her on the beach with important information: the murdered sergeants were all members of a secret group called the “Wolf Pack” that bullies and hazes new recruits in cruel ways. Pope won’t admit he’s part of the group himself, but he confirms the victims were the worst offenders, men who enjoyed hurting younger soldiers.
The investigation takes a confusing turn when the team discovers Omar Shaheed, a Muslim construction worker who once served as a sharpshooter in another country’s military. Shaheed has weapons and admits he was planning a terrorist attack with friends. Colonel Larson immediately arrests Shaheed and his group, declaring the case solved. But Riley’s instincts tell her Shaheed didn’t commit the sniper murders, he’s planning something different. Forced to return to Quantico without solving the case, Riley feels frustrated and worried that the real killer is still free.
Personal Troubles at Home
Back home, Riley’s secret life begins to unravel. A real estate agent named Shirley Redding, whom Riley had briefly hired (then fired) to sell her father’s cabin, is found dead on the property. Riley strongly suspects Shane Hatcher killed her after Redding ignored Riley’s instructions and showed the cabin to potential buyers, putting Hatcher’s hiding place at risk.
Soon, FBI Agent Jennifer Roston questions Riley about her connection to both Hatcher and Redding’s death. Riley must carefully answer without revealing she’s been helping a fugitive. This situation shows how Riley’s good intentions, protecting a man who saved her family, are now trapping her in lies that could destroy her career and freedom.
The Case Reopens, With Tragic Consequences
The Fort Mowat case suddenly reactivates when another soldier is shot, a private named Kyle Barton who was just days away from finishing basic training. This changes everything: the killer isn’t only targeting drill sergeants anymore. Riley and her team rush back to the base.
Following new leads, they find a discharged soldier named Brandon Graham living in a run-down trailer. Graham suffered severe emotional trauma after being brutally hazed by the Wolf Pack. He has a handwritten list of names, the four dead soldiers, with their names crossed out in red ink. When questioned, Graham confesses to the murders.
But something feels wrong to Riley. Graham seems broken and unstable, not like the cool, precise sniper she imagined at the crime scenes. She visits “Larry’s Leap,” a cliff where Graham was once suspended upside down during hazing. Standing there, Riley has a breakthrough realization: a man who broke down during hazing wouldn’t have the steady nerves needed to take perfect long-distance shots night after night. Graham isn’t the killer, he’s mentally ill and has convinced himself he committed the murders because he’s ashamed he never had the courage to stand up to his tormentors.
Riley figures out the truth: the real killer is actually a current member of the Wolf Pack, a soldier who believes the group has lost its honor through cruel hazing. This person has decided to “clean up” the Wolf Pack by killing its worst members, one by one.
The Final Confrontation
Riley tries to warn her superiors, but Colonel Larson refuses to listen and officially removes Riley’s team from the investigation. Determined to stop more deaths, Riley, Bill, and Lucy take matters into their own hands. They split up to find and protect the remaining names on Graham’s list before the sniper strikes again.
Lucy heads to an abandoned building on the edge of base property, the Wolf Pack’s secret meeting place, called “the Den.” Inside, she searches for a private named Titus Mulligan, one of the potential targets. Suddenly, a shot rings out. The sniper, wearing a wolf mask, has been waiting inside. Lucy is hit and falls to the floor, badly wounded.
Bill arrives moments later. Hearing movement and seeing a figure near the wounded Lucy, he fires his weapon in panic, accidentally shooting Private Pope, who had entered the building trying to help. Meanwhile, despite her terrible injury, Lucy finds the strength to fire six shots toward the masked sniper. Her bullets hit their mark.
When Riley rushes into the building, she finds a heartbreaking scene: Lucy dying on the floor, Pope wounded nearby, and the sniper (now unmasked as Private Titus Mulligan) bleeding out from Lucy’s shots. As Riley kneels beside Lucy, the young agent dies in her arms. Overcome with grief and rage, Riley turns to Mulligan, still barely alive, and shoots him in the head. “That was for Lucy,” she says coldly. In that moment, Riley crosses a line she can never uncross: she has executed a wounded man instead of letting him face trial.
Aftermath and Personal Resolution
The team returns to Quantico for Lucy’s memorial service. Director Milner honors the young agent’s bravery, but Riley and Bill are shattered. Bill blames himself for shooting Pope (who survived but was seriously injured) and for not arriving in time to save Lucy. Riley tries to comfort him, reminding him that Lucy died a hero, but both agents carry heavy guilt.
At home, Riley’s personal life slowly stabilizes. April’s boyfriend, Liam, shows up at Riley’s house after his abusive father kicks him out. Without hesitation, Riley takes him in, expanding her already complicated household. She also works things out with Blaine after a misunderstanding about another woman, and they agree to be exclusive. These moments of connection and care show Riley learning to build a real family, not just solving crimes.
The Dangerous Secret Returns
Just as Riley begins to heal, Sheriff Garland calls with alarming news: someone spotted Shane Hatcher at Riley’s father’s cabin. The FBI immediately plans a SWAT raid to capture him.
Riley faces her toughest choice yet. Should she warn Hatcher, a dangerous killer but also the man who saved her family? Or should she let him be caught, ending her secret relationship but possibly putting him in prison for life (or worse)?
After painful reflection, Riley decides not to warn him. She removes the gold chain bracelet Hatcher gave her, a symbol of their complicated bond, and leaves it on her dresser. This act represents her choice to finally let go of the dangerous connection that has been poisoning her life.
When the SWAT team arrives at the cabin, Hatcher is gone, he escaped on a hidden motorcycle. But he isn’t grateful for Riley’s silence. He sends her a chilling text message: “You will live to regret it. Your family might not.”
The book ends with Riley standing alone in her kitchen, trembling. She realizes she has made a powerful enemy who knows everything about her, where she lives, who her children are, where they go to school. The threat is no longer abstract; it’s aimed directly at the people she loves most. The story closes on this note of fear and uncertainty, setting up the next book in the series.
Why This Book Stands Out
“Once Stalked” succeeds because it balances exciting crime-solving with genuine human emotion. Riley isn’t a perfect superhero, she makes mistakes, carries guilt, and sometimes chooses poorly (like helping Hatcher escape). Her grief over Lucy’s death feels real and painful, not just a plot device. The tragic loss of a young agent reminds readers that police work carries real risks, and not every story ends with all the good guys walking away unharmed.
The military hazing theme also gives the book depth beyond a simple murder mystery. It raises questions about power, cruelty, and whether violence can ever be justified. even against bullies. Mulligan believes he’s cleaning up corruption, but his actions make him just another killer. Graham believes he committed the murders out of shame. These layers make the story more thoughtful than a straightforward good-versus-evil tale.
Most importantly, the book leaves readers emotionally invested in Riley’s future. Will Hatcher come after her family? Can she rebuild trust with the FBI after her secrets? Will she ever find peace between her work and her home life? These unanswered questions make readers eager to continue with the next book in the series.
In0 simple terms, “Once Stalked” is a fast-paced, emotional story about a talented investigator facing dangers both on the job and in her personal life. It combines clever detective work with real human struggles, creating a thriller that’s not just exciting to read, but also meaningful. With its mix of professional investigation, family drama, moral dilemmas, and a terrifying final threat, the book delivers everything fans of crime fiction look for: suspense, heart, and a story that stays with you long after the last page.
