by Dane Erbach
First published 2026
Scarlett Sutton arrives at her father's cabin in the Smoky Mountains for what she hopes will be a quiet summer. Her mother has entered a hospital for mental health treatment, leaving Scarlett stuck with her dad. When he forces her to find work, she takes a job at Stovetop Outfitters, an outdoor adventure company. During one shift, she stumbles across a skeleton beneath the zip line. The local sheriff's department struggles to solve a string of bizarre deaths plaguing the area. When one of Scarlett's coworkers vanishes, she and her fellow employees launch their own search. They find him being devoured by a massive swarm of yellow jackets that strip flesh from bone. Scarlett never wanted to play detective, but the deadly insects threaten everyone she cares about. She must find a way to stop the swarm before it kills again.
Genres: adventure, mystery, horror, contemporary, thriller, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Smoky Mountains, Stovetop Outfitters
Period: summer
290 pages · Paperback · CLASH Books
Content warnings: death, gore, mental-illness