Instinct

When Bad Things Happen #4

by Sharon A. Mitchell

Ignore your instincts at your peril!

Her husband’s life came to an end. Cynthia's coming to terms with that loss.

Now the money in her bank account is also coming to an end.

This was not the life she planned, but their little girl depends on her.

After years away, dipping her toe back into her former career is tricky. But it should be doable, right?

Sure, if not for kidnapping, abduction, trafficking, and….

Read INSTINCT, book 4 in the psychological thriller series When Bad Things Happen.

336 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2026

About the author

Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell lives on a farm, with her nearest neighbor several miles away. Doesn't that seem like the ideal setting to spark the imagination? She takes long walks with her hundred-pound German Shepherd dogs, Pickles and Dill. (She didn't name them - don't blame her).

Her newest work are clean, contemporary, western romances in The Farmers of Goodrich County series.

She's working on her eighth psychological thriller novel for the When Bad Things Happen series.

Besidestfive short stories tied to that series, she's written six novels, each featuring an autistic child or young adult. Two nonfiction books accompany that autism series.

Sharon's been a teacher, counselor, psychologist and consultant for decades and continues to teach university classes to soon--to-be teachers and administrators.

Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell is author of the psychological thriller series When Bad Things Happen:
·GONE
·TRUST
·SELFISH
- INSTINCT
-REASONS WHY
-MINE
-SANCTUM
·YOUNG ANNA (a short story)
·Anything for Her Son (prequel short story)

Western Romances:
- The Farmer Takes a Wife
-The Farmer Says I Do
- The Farmer's Christmas Duty
- In Case of Rain

She's also written a series of six novels, each featuring a child or young adult on the autism spectrum:
·Autism Goes to School
·Autism Runs Away
·Autism Belongs
·Autism Talks and Talks
·Autism Grows Up
·Autism Goes to College
·Autism Box Set- Books 1-3

In addition, there are two nonfiction books:
·Autism Questions Parents Ask & the Answers They Seek
·Autism Questions Teachers Ask & the Answers They Seek

Reviews

[Jackie]

Another fantastic book. No matter how much you try to guess what happens next, it’s impossible. Definitely ready for more by this superb writer.

[Sharon Young]

The Autism Goes To School series and the When Bad Things Happen series occupy a growing world.

Natalie is almost sixteen and the new girl in town. Again. But she's not what she seems.

Cynthia is trying to put her life back together as a widow with a young daughter. Tutoring Bonnie, Anna and Murph's foster daughter, seems like a good way to ease back into teaching. It wouldn't hurt to take on Natalie and ease her back into learning after being bullied at her previous schools, right?

Or would it?

And Alejandro - who placed Natalie with her adoptive parents all those years ago - is back. But a complicated series of who missed who means the people who know what a danger he poses DON'T know he's involved - with Natalie, or her parents, or anyone else in their circle of acquaintance.

He's careful, but his helper isn't careful enough. And that makes it possible for Cynthia to avoid the worst possible outcome. But if everybody had just paid more attention to their instincts telling them something was wrong, especially with Natalie, it wouldn't have gotten as bad as it did.

You'll have to read it to find out more. It will draw you in.

[Andi]

I was privileged to read an advance reading copy of Instinct provided by the author for the eagerly awaited fourth book of the When Bad Things Happen series. I was delighted to see some of the familiar characters come to life again. A strong bond between the female main characters is a recurring theme, the women who help care for each other’s children and support one another, while coming into their own, This time it’s Cynthia’s turn. A minor character in the previous book, she now faces several challenges: potential financial ruin, reentry into her profession, tutoring a very disturbed young teenager, and a mother’s worst nightmare; the abduction of her daughter. What I enjoyed about this book is that the characters are real people with real jobs, and there’s just enough thriller and romance to make it compelling … and real!

[Anna B]

Hold onto your children when Natalie’s in your neighborhood. This gripping suspense tale takes you into the mind of a disturbed teen, her unsuspecting parents and neighbors, and the lengths she’ll go to get her way.
Cynthia has raised Amy alone since her husband’s death and needs the money when her new neighbors propose she take on their daughter as a student. Little does Cynthia know her early reservations are about to be proven true.
Is evil hereditary, or is it lurking in everyone waiting to be released according to circumstances? Read this book and you might find your answer.

[Jean]

Instinct is the fourth book in the When Bad Things Happen series. Sharon A. Mitchell has impressed me yet again! These books do a great job of putting me on the edge of my seat, not wanting anything bad to happen while knowing that eventually it will happen. That’s how real the books seem to me. Also, there’s always something to learn (or to learn more about) pertaining to psychology. The “good” characters have been coping and growing with each bad thing that has happened. I think I would enjoy these characters even if things never got bad. The people who cause bad things to happen seem realistic to me and I hope I never run into them outside of books! I enthusiastically recommend this book and series.

I have read Instinct as an Advanced Review Copy. My review is given voluntarily.

[Billie]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review

[Darcy Sander]

A well written, engaging story! It is a stand alone story but also connects well to this author’s previous thrillers. Great character development! Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Debbie]

Great Story

Looking forward to the next one. Amazing how the author takes neighbors and gives them their own story. Read the other books first!

[Teresa Tignola]

Ho imparato a conoscere i personaggi. Dai più amati ai meno amati, e in questo la storia continua con il gruppo che ormai conosciamo bene ma con un'aggiunta. Una famiglia che va a vivere sulla stessa strada di Cynthia ed Elizabeth. 
Fa un po' desperate housewives, ma è completamente diverso.
Questa volta, purtroppo ma anche per fortuna, Brendan e Jake devono unire le forze a favore di Cynthia per aiutarla a ritrovare Amy.
Ad ogni modo, ancora una volta la dottoressa Mitchell riesce a combaciare perfettamente problemi mentali con altri argomenti. Questa volta troviamo l'adozione, anche se non viene proprio specificato. Conoscendo molto dell'argomento personalmente questa storia mi è sembrata brillante ma a tratti un po' veloce, come la fine. Tiene sulle spine non poco, soprattutto con i comportamenti di Natalie che, sorpresa sorpresa, è in qualche modo legata ad Alejandro.
Quello che succede nella sua mente e che noi leggiamo è allo stesso tempo davvero affascinante e spaventoso. Dura capire com'è persone così esistano davvero, eppure...
Anche trovare il coraggio per fare certe cose a soli 15 anni, quanti problemi devi avere per esserne capace?

Una storia che è comunque abbastanza vero simile se non per alcuni piccoli punti. 
Sally resta la peggiore dopo Natalie però, senza dubbio.

[Dee Cash]

Messed Up

Instinct could have been a good book I think. Having read it out of order was my fault. That made it less sensible. However the editor and proof reader caused the most confusion. There were numerous typos but even those could mostly be overlooked.
The biggest problem was that one entire section was out of order in the book which of course made it make no sense at all.

[Don]

This story deals with the cruelty some kids can dish out. It also points to the blindness of adult parents. Can be disturbing. The parents continue to ignore what is the obvious, that she is a psychopath. Where are their instincts? This was a very good take on believing or following up on what your instincts tell you. Well done Mitchell. 5.

[Carolyn Strong]

Full of suspense

What possibly can happen among a group of friends? How about the bad tendencies of a teen daughter to torment younger children and animals, or to manipulate others. This book is part of a series and continues to build on a complex plot with unusual characters.

[velma lou]

enough

How much more can these poor people endure? Does this story ever end ? I think it’s enough. I barely finished this book. Skimmed the last half until the end

[Rainbow Unicorn]

DNF