First published 2026
Willa learned to read from the creature living beneath her bed. Now thirty-two and working as a painter, she lives alone until a news report reveals her identity. She survived the Rapture Mystery Slayings that killed six teenagers in her hometown's woods fifteen years ago. Everyone believes she murdered them. When a former classmate calls about a funeral, Willa drives back to the place she promised never to see again. The forest where her friends died calls to her. Her childhood home decays around mysterious basement sounds. The townspeople still think she's a killer. Willa must face the monster she abandoned and decide whether to become the murderer they've always said she is.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, horror, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, haunting, introspective, psychological, suspenseful
Tropes: dark-secrets, monster-within, return-to-hometown, unreliable-narrator
Setting: hometown, forest, basement, childhood home
Period: 15 years ago, present day
320 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: death, murder