Part of The Appeal
First published 2026
The Fairway Players gather in Lower Lockwood for their new production of The Hollow. Producer Sarah-Jane watches her mysterious sister return after twenty years abroad. New member Lucas brings questionable business connections to rehearsals. Issy Beck joins the cast despite her recent murder acquittal. Tensions rise between the amateur actors as petty rivalries surface and new arrivals shake up old dynamics. A lighting rig accident nearly kills someone during preparation. Then a real murder strikes the theater group before opening night arrives. Someone gets convicted but refuses to defend themselves in court. Lawyers Charlotte and Femi dig through digital communications and police files to discover who died and why. They race to uncover the killer's identity while the convicted person stays silent about their innocence or guilt.
Genres: drama, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, legal-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, fast-paced, intricate, suspenseful, tension-filled
Tropes: locked-room-mystery, multiple-perspectives, unreliable-narrator, whodunit
Setting: Lower Lockwood, theater
Period: contemporary
470 pages · Paperback · Viper
Content warnings: death, murder