First published 2019
Rex McClendon and Leif Nelson are filming their horror movie PolterDog when everything goes wrong. Their best friend Alicia Boykins gets sent to the Whitewood School, the local reformatory that supposedly fixes troubled teens. Everyone in Bleak Creek, North Carolina accepts the official story about student deaths at Whitewood. Tragic accidents, they say. Kids who got mixed up with cigarettes and grunge music. But Rex and Leif start asking questions when Alicia disappears behind those walls. They team up with Janine Blitstein, a film school graduate, to dig into the school's dark history. What they discover about founder Wayne Whitewood and his methods goes far beyond strict discipline. The three friends must confront an ancient evil that has been feeding on their small Southern town. Their investigation puts them in direct conflict with forces that will destroy anyone who threatens to expose the truth.
Genres: mystery, horror, thriller, young-adult
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, friends-to-lovers
Setting: Bleak Creek, North Carolina, Whitewood School
Period: contemporary
327 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: violence