First published 2013
Detective Woody Potter thought he knew Brewster, Rhode Island. This quiet town where people live and die within blocks of their birthplace rarely produces more than weekend bar fights and local gossip. Then the impossible begins. Coyotes gather in menacing packs along the back roads. Someone steals a newborn from Memorial Hospital and leaves a snake coiled in the empty bassinet. Violent acts with no clear motive start plaguing the community. Potter and his fellow officers find themselves confronting events that defy rational explanation. The townspeople whisper about supernatural forces as fear spreads through familiar streets. Stephen Dobyns crafts a story that balances dark humor with mounting dread, populating Brewster with memorable residents whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. As Potter investigates deeper into the mystery, the line between natural and unnatural blurs, leaving both detective and reader questioning what forces truly govern this seemingly ordinary place.
Genres: mystery, crime, horror, supernatural, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: detective-story, supernatural-mystery, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Brewster, Rhode Island
Audio CD · Dreamscape Media