First published 1993
Schoolteacher Meg Halloran drives through California's high desert country with her teenage daughter Katy, seeking a change of scenery and hoping to reconnect. They arrive at the Macrae ranch in Modoc County, where Meg plans to visit Lauren, her former student. The ranch sits in cattle country where the same families have worked the land for over a century. Meg discovers that Lauren and her aunt Frances still grieve the loss of Bobby Macrae, Lauren's brother who disappeared without explanation ten years earlier. Bobby was twenty-one when he vanished, leaving behind only rumors and questions. Now whispers suggest he might return. Katy finds the mystery thrilling, though she's more interested in studying wolf behavior than human drama. When old rivalries resurface and another person goes missing, murder follows. Both Meg and Katy must learn to identify the real threats around them. Their survival depends on understanding the difference between harmless misfits and true dangers lurking within this tight-knit community.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: California, Modoc County, Macrae Ranch
Period: 10 Years Ago
256 pages · Hardcover · Scribner Book Company