by Shea Ernshaw
First published 2021
Travis Wren possesses a rare gift for tracking down the disappeared. He needs only a personal item to locate someone who has vanished without a trace. Families hire him when all other options fail. His latest case involves Maggie St. James, a famous writer of dark children's stories. The search leads Travis to Pastoral, a commune established in the 1970s by people seeking a simpler existence. Most consider this isolated community nothing more than myth. Travis discovers it exists, but then he disappears just like Maggie. Years pass before Theo, who has lived in Pastoral his entire life, finds Travis's empty truck outside their borders. The community forbids entry or exit to prevent a mysterious disease called rot from spreading. Theo begins investigating what happened to Travis. His search exposes hidden truths that he, his wife Calla, and her sister Bee have kept from each other. These revelations shatter their belief in their protected world and reveal that danger comes in many forms.
Genres: adventure, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Pastoral, United States
Period: 1970s, Contemporary
Audio CD · Blackstone Pub
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness