Having been abandoned by his father at the age of four and raised in foster care, Mike Wingate (a last name he chose for himself) recalls only small fragments of his parents and his life with them. But foster care taught Mike to be tough and value stamina, as well as loyalty. He survived the system and is now happily married to Annabel, with a young daughter Kat, as well as owner of a construction company that's just finished a "green" housing project northwest of Los Angeles. The future looks bright and secure for Mike and his family, until the unbelievable happens.

Just as Mike is to receive a prestigious award for his work, two thugs, William and Dodge, show up threatening Mike, Annabel and Kat. Something from Mike's murky past has brought these two menacingly evil men into their lives, and they soon realize that William and Dodge will stop at nothing short of murder to achieve their goal.

When the police seem more interested in Mike's sketchy past than in protecting his family, he turns to the only man he can trust in this situation -- Shep -- his one true friend. Though Shep's life as a career criminal is the total opposite of Mike's life, the bond forged during their childhood days in foster care is still as strong as ever. And Mike knows it will take someone with Shep's skills to counteract William and Dodge, and their mysterious Boss Man.

The big question, of course, is who is Boss Man and why is he so insistent that Mike and his entire family must die? The answer will shock Mike to his core -- as it will everyone involved.

This riveting thriller will leave you stunned and amazed at the lengths people will go to secure their futures -- both good and bad. The conclusion is emotionally draining and evocative, as is the deft evolution of the plotline. Hurwitz is an excellent wordsmith and YOU'RE NEXT is one of his best accomplishments.

Book Summary

Mike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of — he’s happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a “green” housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. But then something from his own past, a past he doesn’t even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family.

Shady characters begin threatening Mike and, when he reports them, the police seem more interested in Mike’s murky past than in protecting him. Now, with Mike, his wife Annabel and daughter Kat suddenly under attack from all sides, Mike turns to Shep, a dangerous man — and Mike’s only true friend — from his childhood days in foster care. Together they will do whatever it takes to protect Mike’s family against the hidden men behind the terrifying warning, “You’re Next.”