First published 2026
Sonia Wilson has no work and no prospects as a scientific illustrator in 1899. When Dr. Halder offers her a position drawing his insect collection at his North Carolina manor, she accepts immediately. The job seems perfect until strange things begin happening in the surrounding woods. Animals behave oddly. Locals whisper about blood thieves. Her predecessor, who was also Halder's wife, has vanished without explanation. Sonia teams up with the housekeeper and a local healer to investigate. She discovers that Halder's research involves parasitic maggots that burrow into human flesh. His experiments have grown increasingly monstrous, and Sonia realizes she may become his next test subject. She must escape before Halder's scientific obsessions consume her too.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, horror, thriller, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, fish-out-of-water, scientific-obsession
Setting: North Carolina
Period: 1899
276 pages · Paperback · Tor Nightfire
Content warnings: body-horror, medical-trauma