First published 2026
Josie Boots made a terrible mistake. She comes back to Burnville to look after her sick grandmother. The small town holds decades of pain. Twenty-five years ago, a shocking crime changed everything. Her grandmother faced trial. Her mother died twenty-two years back. Six years ago, people called Josie the "bad seed." Two months ago, she proved them right. Now Josie wants peace in her hometown. A stranger appears with promises about her family's hidden past. When Josie meets him, she watches a vicious crime unfold before her eyes. Her life began wrapped in secrets. They start breaking free. History wants to repeat itself, but this time the past hunts Josie down. It could kill her.
Genres: drama, mystery, crime, adult-fiction, thriller, psychological-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gritty, haunting, suspenseful
Tropes: dark-past, family-curse, mystery-unraveling, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Burnville
352 pages · Paperback · Poisoned Pen Press
Content warnings: death, murder, violence