by Sarah Pearse
First published 2022
Detective Elin Warner arrives at an eco-wellness retreat on Reaper's Rock, an island off England's coast with a sinister reputation. The locals call it cursed, remembering when a serial killer once used it as his hunting ground. Warner comes to investigate what appears to be a tragic accident: a young woman's body lies on the rocks beneath the yoga pavilion. The victim puzzles Warner. She wasn't registered as a guest and had no reason to be on the island. The next day brings another death when a guest drowns during a diving excursion. Warner recognizes a pattern forming. These aren't accidents. Someone is systematically targeting people at the retreat. As more lives hang in the balance, Warner races to identify the killer's motive and next victim. The island's bloody history threatens to repeat itself unless she can stop the murders before the retreat becomes another chapter in Reaper's Rock's dark legacy.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, race-against-time, sinister-setting
Setting: England, Reaper's Rock
356 pages · Hardcover · Pamela Dorman Books
Content warnings: death, murder, violence