by Xan Kaur
First published 2025
Neera Singh finds blood in room 4 of her family's struggling motel. Dawson Sumter has vanished without a trace. In the small Georgia town of Carrion, people disappear every thirteen years when the cicadas emerge from underground. Neera teams up with three unlikely allies to track down what happened to Dawson. Isaiah podcasts about true crime while hiding his work from his judge father. Reid carries the burden of being the richest kid in town. Sam lives with the reputation of being the local hitman's daughter. Their search pulls them into a web of lies that reaches back to Carrion's founding. The wealthy families around Lake Clearwater guard secrets about their prosperity. An old legend speaks of three devils who granted power to the town's founders. As the teens dig deeper, they realize the corruption runs through generations. The missing boy becomes secondary to a larger horror. They must decide whether to expose the truth or become its next victims.
Genres: suspense, mystery, horror, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: conspiracy, found-family
Setting: Carrion, Lake Clearwater, Georgia
Period: every thirteen years
388 pages · Hardcover · Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Content warnings: murder, violence