by Nora Roberts
First published 2025
Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper and her partner just arrested three men who attacked hikers in Western Maryland's mountains. On the drive back, Cooper stops at a convenience store and walks into an armed robbery. A nervous thief shoots her. After doctors revive her on the operating table, Cooper faces months of recovery at her parents' home in Heron's Rest. Her boyfriend dumps her by text message while she's hospitalized. When a woman disappears from a supermarket parking lot, leaving only her abandoned car, Cooper starts investigating online. She discovers similar vanishings across three states. The victims share no obvious connections. Young and old, men and women, they simply vanish without traces. The abductions continue while Cooper digs deeper. A new romantic interest joins her investigation, sharing her drive to solve the mystery. Cooper must push her recovering body to its limits as she closes in on the truth behind these disappearances. She's prepared to risk her life again to stop whoever is behind the horror.
Genres: romance, suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Heron's Rest, Maryland, Western Maryland
435 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: violence