Part of Bleak Haven, book 3
First published 2026
Ethan was fourteen when his older brother drowned in Bleak Haven's creek in 2008. The coroner found no evidence of murder, but Ethan never believed the official story. Now eighteen, he decides to visit the creek on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. He brings his closest friends for support, hoping to find the peace that has escaped him all these years. The healing journey takes a dark turn when something crawls out of the water. The figure looks exactly like his dead brother and demands a sacrifice that could alter everything. Ethan starts investigating the creek's bloody past and learns that one person did survive when death seemed certain. The media called them a miracle child, but Ethan suspects they only lived because someone else died in their place. If this theory is correct, Ethan might be able to save his brother and bring him home. The question becomes how much he will risk and what price he will pay.
Genres: mystery, horror, supernatural, thriller, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, eerie, emotionally-intense, haunting, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, investigation-of-past-trauma, sacrifice-and-redemption, unreliable-reality
Setting: Bleak Haven, Corpse Creek
Period: 2008, contemporary
256 pages · Paperback · Wednesday Books
Content warnings: death, murder