by Daisy Pearce
First published 2027
Hazel comes back to the English countryside town of Idless with nowhere else to go. Her divorce has left her broken, and she plans to hide out in her parents' empty house while she rebuilds her life. She also hopes to repair things with her sister Cathy after their bitter fight five years ago. But Hazel never arrives at the house. Cathy waits and worries, caught between anger at being stood up and genuine fear that something terrible has happened. The townspeople speak in hushed voices about a danger they cannot name. Everyone knows the local woods devour whatever enters them. Nothing that goes in ever comes back out. As Cathy searches for answers about her sister's disappearance, she faces a choice between safety and family loyalty. The woods seem to call to anyone foolish enough to listen.
Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: missing-person, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Idless, English Countryside
336 pages · Paperback · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: anxiety, depression