by Mo Hayder
First published 2008
Journalist Joe Oakes specializes in debunking paranormal claims. When he receives an invitation to visit Cuagach Eilean, known as Pig Island, he sees another opportunity to expose supernatural nonsense. The small Scottish island has been closed to outsiders for years, protected by rumors that the devil walks among its secretive religious sect. No stranger has set foot there in decades. Oakes accepts the invitation eagerly, confident he can reveal the truth behind the mysterious community. He arrives expecting to find the usual mix of delusion and trickery that marks his investigations. Instead, Oakes triggers a cascade of violence and murder that spirals beyond anyone's control. The island holds secrets that resist his rational explanations, and his presence unleashes forces that threaten to destroy everything in their path.
Genres: mystery, horror, supernatural, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cuagach Eilean, Pig Island, Scotland
384 pages · Paperback · Goldmann Verlag
Content warnings: violence