First published 2023
Ten years after Donald "Sully" Sullivan's death, North Bath undergoes annexation by wealthy Schuyler Springs. Peter Sullivan wrestles with his father's shadow while worrying he's failed his own son Thomas the same way Sully failed him. The newly merged police department lands in the hands of Charice Bond after former chief Doug Raymer steps down. When workers discover a decomposing corpse in an abandoned hotel between the two towns, the investigation forces Charice and her ex-lover Doug back together. They must navigate their unresolved feelings while solving the mystery. Across town, Ruth struggles with her granddaughter Tina's fixation on Peter's other son Will. The identity of the dead body becomes the subject of widespread speculation. Residents wonder which among them vanished without anyone noticing. Richard Russo returns to the working-class community that made Nobody's Fool and Everybody's Fool beloved, exploring how the past shapes the present through three generations of flawed, deeply human characters.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: North Bath, Schuyler Springs
Period: 10 Years After
672 pages · Paperback · Random House Large Print