by S. J. Watson
First published 2020
Alex arrives in Blackwood Bay with her camera and ambitious plans. The northern English village once claimed fame only through centuries-old smuggling tales, but two missing local girls have cast a darker shadow over the community. Alex wants residents to tell their own stories for her documentary project. She discovers a place ravaged by economic decline rather than the charming locale she expected. The disappearances have left everyone suspicious and frightened. As Alex continues filming, she uncovers secrets that stretch back generations. The community's buried truths begin surfacing, escalating the already volatile atmosphere. Her investigation pulls her deeper into dangerous territory where uncomfortable revelations threaten everyone's safety. Alex must navigate between her artistic ambitions and the mounting peril her work creates in a town where trust has vanished.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Blackwood Bay, England
Period: contemporary
355 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, violence