by Mary Kubica
First published 2026
Courtney Gray arrives at a lakeside cottage to find her brother and sister-in-law brutally murdered. Her young niece Reese has vanished without a trace. Only her nephew Wyatt remains, found sleeping upstairs, physically unharmed but the sole witness to whatever happened below. Police flood the quiet resort town as Courtney struggles to piece together the horrific events. The investigation reveals hidden secrets within her own family and among the townspeople who seemed so welcoming. Every person Courtney encounters appears to be concealing something important. The central question haunts every conversation: did someone kidnap Reese, or did the young girl commit an unthinkable act before fleeing? Courtney pushes deeper into the mystery, but each revelation makes it harder to distinguish truth from deception. The people she thought she could trust become suspects. The facts she believed solid crumble under scrutiny. As Courtney races against time to find Reese, she must confront the possibility that the greatest danger may come from those closest to her.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Lakeside Cottage
342 pages · Hardcover · Park Row
Content warnings: death, murder