Beneath A Broken Sky Review

Author: Joshua Moehling

Series: Ben Packard #4

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Release Day: May 26, 2026

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary arc of this title for review.

Opinions expressed are my own.

From award-nominated and USA Today bestselling author Joshua Moehling comes a tense, atmospheric thriller about one detective's search for a mysterious killer in the chaos following a deadly storm…

Review:  

Detective Ben Packard is navigating life as a gay man in small town Sandy Lake, Minnesota, having moved there following the death of his partner, Marcus. After devastating tornadoes rip through town, nefarious storm chasers descend upon the town with trees to cut, roofs to repair, and yards to clean up. Tempers smolder as the brutal summer heat blankets the explosive atmosphere already dense from the smoke from brush fires. And now, a woman who recently confronted the school board about the bullying of her gay son is found dead from the hands of an intruder. Suddenly, the facade of a serene, safe small-town cracks, torn apart and divided by whispers, finger pointing and the emergence of dark secrets. As Ben begins a murder investigation, a ghost from his past appears hurling accusations and stirring up old memories he thought he'd buried.

 Author Joshua Moehing has raised the bar on the Ben Packard series with Beneath A Broken Sky. He systematically rips apart the idealistic guise of a safe, peaceful town where everyone is welcome, safe, and treated equally. The murder is especially disturbing to Ben as it hits close to home with homophonic undertones nourished by an undercurrent of malevolence, social bias, bigotry and abuse. The symbolism between the devastation of storm damaged property, destruction of the perfect smalltown persona, and the collision of Ben's personal and professional life both past and present are masterfully delivered by the author. I love getting additional insight into Ben's personal life, having the band aid ripped off and watching as he maneuvers his new circumstances with events occurring that are beyond his control.

 Beneath A Broken Sky is a highly atmospheric, tension laden, tautly written thriller that I could not put down - my favorite of the series! While this book can most certainly be read as a standalone, the background and character development that begins in book one and continues throughout enhances the enjoyment of reading subsequent books including this one. Highly recommended to fans of tense psychological thrillers with an imperfect yet moral hero with a lot of heart.

Synopsis:

Detective Ben Packard has put down roots in the small town of Sandy Lake. A difficult thing to do; it's a hot, miserable summer, and a tornado has swept through causing irreparable damage. Trees are felled, homes destroyed, and people are desperate. Worse, the storm has also blown in a group of storm chasers with something to hide.

Then a woman is killed in her home. The mother of a gay boy and unpopular among the locals for the hell she recently raised at school when the administration refused to punish a group of students who were bullying her son, there's almost too many suspects to count. 

But to Packard, the case hits close to home. And when someone from his past shows up on his doorstep out of the blue, he realizes he'll have to confront the reality of navigating life as a gay man in a small town bent on tradition, no matter the cost.

The heat suffocates. The violence simmers. Before the summer is out, someone else will die.

The Final Target Review

Author: Nora Roberts

Publisher: St. Martins' Press

Release Date: May 26, 2026

Special thanks to St. Martins' Press for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own.

A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire―and rage―in the gripping new thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.

Review:

Introvert Arden Moxie is a newly published author at her first book signing when she answers questions and signs a copy of her book for Dustin, an oddly disturbing fan who claims to be an aspiring writer. While her inner alarm bells are pinging, Arden tolerates his personal questions in an effort to remain cordial until he begins showing up at each of her book signings in different cities dominating her time and invading her space. When Arden revokes his advances, a fan's obsession turns into a dangerous, terrifying stalking. A tragic event sends Dustin to prison and Arden fleeing to a small town in Oregon near family where she meets an ex-LAPD detective with his own issues. A friendship and budding romance evolve slowly as Arden reclaims her confidence and life while Dustin, playing the part of a model prisoner, passes his days in prison in a silent rage scheming about all the ways he'll make her pay. That day will come sooner than Arden thinks.

The Final Target by Author Nora Roberts is a well-written blend of suspense and romance with familiar themes of found family, resilience, triumph over evil, and nature vs. nurture often found in Roberts' books. In classic Roberts' style, character relationships are developed slowly with a multitude of day-to-day scenes in the life of small-town people that I find endearing. While the story is told primarily from Arden's point of view, the suspense is heightened by including the villain's point of view giving readers insight into the depraved, delusional workings of a psychopath's mind and the dwindling timeline Arden is unaware of.  

Once again, Author Nora Roberts has gifted readers a highly emotional, spellbinding, tautly written story of perseverance and hope in the face of danger. A story rich in place with a character who digs deep to overcome tragedy, find her inner strength and take charge of her own destiny. Highly recommend The Final Target to fans of Romance Suspense. 

Synopsis:

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude―but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

First-Time Callers Review

 

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Narration by E.J. Bingham and Hathaway Lee

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Review:

As the host of a late-night romance radio call-in show, it's Aiden Valentine's job to give advice on matters of the heart but lately he's having a hard time fulfilling his duties. In fact, Aiden has become downright cynical and vocal about not believing in "love" and the radio stations ratings are spiraling downwards. Until a smart twelve-year-old girl named Maya Stone calls into the show requesting help in the romance department for her single mom. Lucie catches Maya on the phone with a stranger, takes the phone from her demanding the identity of the possible pervert soliciting her child, and ends up talking to Aiden live on-air about her lack of a love life. One call leads to another until Lucie agrees to co-host the show with Aiden in a quest to find her perfect "love" match. Listeners are fascinated by Lucie and the on-air chemistry sizzling between her and Aiden and rating soar. 

First-Time Caller reminds me of Sleepless In Seattle in the best of ways. Both characters are lovable yet in denial over what's right in front of their faces. As the on-air search to find a suitable partner for Lucie plays out, the heartstrings drawing Aiden and Lucie together grow stronger. Readers know from the start that they're perfect for one another, but they have to get there in their own time. First-Time Caller is an endearing, romantic and sometimes hilarious romance story. Narration by E.J. Bingham and Hathaway Lee is pure perfection, bringing both characters to life with banter, wit, and heartwarming vibes. I felt like I was actually listening to the late-night radio show! Highly recommend to fans of contemporary romance.

Synopsis:

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Family Lies Review & Blog Tour!

Author: Karen Rose

Series: San Diego #4; RS#33

Berkley Publishing

March 31, 2026

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for a complimentary arc of this title for review and for the blog tour invitation. Opinions expressed are my own.

Review:

Family Lies by Author Karen Rose is the fourth book in the San Diego Case Files series and number 33 in the Romance Suspense series overall. Each book in the series is complex and intense with a tautly woven plot line and ongoing character development. As always, readers are hooked from the beginning by an intriguing prologue and held captive until the final big reveal.

Family Lies features San Diego Homicide Detective Kit McKittrick and Police Psychologist Sam Reeves along with other series' regulars. After spending time in the foster system, Kit is finally learning to trust - both her devoted adoptive parents, the McKittricks, and her love interest, Sam, whose patience with her is beginning to pay off. Kit is fiercely independent, loyal, and driven and extremely protective of her adoptive siblings. When Akiko, an adoptive sister, receives a call from someone claiming to have knowledge of her birth mother, Kit and Sam are by her side. When they arrive at the woman's house, shots are fired hitting Kit, and they find the woman they hoped to talk to dead inside her home. What have they walked into? How does it pertain to Akiko? As they begin investigating, the plot thickens, getting more convoluted as bodies begin to pile up. Kit won't stop until she uncovers the truth, and Sam won't leave her side.

Author Karen Rose never fails to deliver an action packed, complex story with multiple threads that eventually intertwine in an explosive climax. The romance between Kit and Sam is a slow developing one with Sam easing Kit into it in hopes of a permanent relationship. Sam is aware of Kit's trust issues stemming from her past but continues to demonstrate his willingness to wait for her. Rose flawlessly weaves the past and present together as family secrets and lies surface with deadly consequences. While this book can easily be read as a standalone, the overall story arc continues to develop with characters introduced in previous books. For this reason, I recommend readers enjoy the first three books in this series prior to reading Family Lies. Highly recommended to fans of police procedurals and romance suspense.

Synopsis:

As an infant, Kit McKittrick’s foster sister Akiko was abandoned at a firehouse. Now 32, Akiko has received an unsettling phone call from a woman who says that she knew her birth mother but refuses to divulge any details except in person. Akiko is nervous but also thrilled at the prospect of finally learning about her blood relations.

Kit has a bad feeling about this and insists on accompanying Akiko to meet the woman. Sure enough, as they stand on Mary Sherman’s doorstep, shots are fired and Kit is hit...and inside the house is a corpse: Mary Sherman herself.

Although she’s on medical leave and forbidden to work the case, Kit cannot rest. With police psychologist Sam Reeves, she undertakes a covert investigation into the mysterious Mary Sherman. Was she Akiko’s birth mother? Why did she reach out after all these years? And who had a motive to kill her?

As more bodies pile up, Kit starts to put together the pieces of the frightening puzzle that is Akiko’s birth family, and she’ll come to wonder whether some secrets should stay buried after all.

Meet the author:

Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn't concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”

Her debut suspense novel, DON'T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published fifteen more novels and two novellas. Her seventeenth novel, ALONE IN THE DARK, will be released in 2016.

Karen's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London's Sunday Times, and Germany's der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa (#1) and Australia!

Her novels, I'M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America's RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.

A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than twenty years, her two daughters, two dogs, and a cat. 

Antihero Review

Author: Gregg Hurwitz

Series: Orphan X #11

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: Feb. 10, 2026

A big thank you to Minotaur Books for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own. 

This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

In the latest in this New York Times best-selling series, Evan Smoak takes on his most complex mission yet―one where he has to not only protect but also avenge, and find a way to balance vengeance with mercy.

Review:

Antihero by Author Gregg Hurwitz is a gut wrenching, action packed, heart stopping thriller. The eleventh book in the Orphan X series and quite possibly the most anguish filled book to date, the story grabbed me by the throat on the first page and never let go. I devoured this book in one sitting as there was never a time I felt I could hit pause and walk away in peace. Carve out alone time to read this one as it'll come for you like a long black train.

 The government raised and trained Orphan X to be a Black Op assassin, a lethal machine that performed upon command, no questions asked. Leary of decisions made by his superiors, he grabbed the first opportunity to go solo and disappeared underground. When he resurfaced, X aka Evan Smoak had reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a lethal, mysterious, emotionless man on a mission to get vengeance and justice for victims of violence who have nowhere else to turn. The Nowhere Man lives by a stringent set of commandments, one of which is number four, "Never make it personal". A rule he finds increasingly difficult to adhere to after being summoned to the lair of Luke Devin who's suffering a psychotic break and in need of Evan to keep an eye on volatile world events until he recovers. While there, Evan learns of a woman repeatedly brutalized and violated by soulless thugs after having been kidnapped from the subway in New York City. Vowing to find the woman and annihilate her tormenters, X leaves Joey in charge at Devine's and returns to the city. After locating the battered, traumatized woman, Evan is speechless and unable to comprehend when she tells him justice belongs to a higher power, not humans. Standing her ground, she extracts a painful promise from Evan that leaves him struggling with a deluge of emotions he isn't trained to decipher or manage. For the first time in his life, the Nowhere Man faces the dilemma of completing his mission while keeping his promise as he grabbles with conflicting emotions within, including the realization that there are people in his life he cares for. With that knowledge comes the paralyzing fear of losing them. With time running out and X's enemies converging on him from every direction, he’s left vulnerable and off-balance, conditions foreign to him that prove life threatening as he repeatedly ignores the commandment to never make it personal.

 Antihero is a major turning point in the life of Orphan X aka The Nowhere Man as he maneuvers a minefield of foreign emotions that conflict with his rigid training and mission. His disgust for the vile lowlifes that attack innocents propels him to use deadly force to prevent them from doing it again and yet his newly found humanity demands he find a way to balance the scales and avenge victims by inflicting pain, not final judgement. The developing relationship between X and Joey is heart touching, almost a father/daughter thing with Joey spreading her wings and Evan worrying about her safety. Another foreign emotion for him. As always, the pace is insane, increasing with each new revelation and shocking turn, and the tone is dire, at best.

Author Gregg Hurwitz has raised the bar high in Antihero gifting readers  a masterfully written, gripping story that exposes unfamiliar, deeply buried layers in Orphan X. Readers are sucked into the action as the Nowhere Man learns to navigate his emotions and conduct missions in a new, less permanent manner while staying true to his training and commandments. In spite of all the brutality and violence in this book, there's an undertone of hope, respect, faith, and trust woven throughout. Antihero will be a favorite among fans of the series as well as readers who favor high action, take no prisoners’ thrillers. A 2025 favorite for this reader, and one of the author’s best to date.

 Synopsis:

Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.

When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to meet Luke. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out tracking down the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice, with a measure of mercy.

The Seven Rings Review

Author: Nora Roberts

Series: The Lost Bride #3

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2025

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown…

Review:

The Seven Rings is the final book in the Lost Bride Trilogy by Author Nora Roberts and one that concludes the overall story arc that began in the first book, Inheritance. The story develops over the course of all three books as do relationships making it important to read this trilogy in order of publication. 

 Sonya MacTavish inherited a magnificent, haunted manor with a heartbreaking history overlooking the angry sea in Maine. Over a period of years, seven brides came to the mansion, and seven brides died there at the hands of Hester, a dark, evil witch spirit who ripped the wedding ring off each brides’ hand in a jealous fit of rage before sending them to their deaths, thereby cursing the house and all future brides. Hester intends to take her place as reigning mistress of the manor and until that day comes, she resides in the Gold Room terrorizing all who dare enter her domain. Sonya is a descendant of the Poole family and, along with Owen Poole, has the gift of sight which enables her to see and feel some of the brides and former staff ghosts who live there waiting to be set free. Her unique ability to pass through a mystical mirror into the past allows Sonya to journey through time and bear witness to each bride's horrific murder over a period of years. To reside in the manor in peace, she must break the curse and banish Hester from the residence. Believing the key to doing that has something to do with the stolen wedding rings, Sonya and her three companions search each room and piece of furniture in the manor as they work towards restoring everything to its former glory. With each passing day and new revelation, they bring additional light, laughter, and love into the house feeding Hester's rage which manifests in various forms, each more deadly than the one before. Time is running out for Sonya. Will she survive the witch’s wrath and break the curse?

 Author Nora Roberts excels in rendering captivating stories centered around families, both birth and found family. Her writing ebbs and flows on pages filled with daily life routines, such as mealtimes and daily tasks, as tension slowly builds to the story climax. While some readers may find that the abundance of scenes like these slow the pace and distract from the action, I appreciate the time taken by the author to quietly build emotional connections between characters and present historical background. The story transitions seamlessly between past and present through Sonya's travels back in time as she learns more about the hopes and dreams of each person who once resided in the manor and the present day as she searches for the key to banishing the evil witch before another bride dies. As Hester's violence escalates into madness, a tone of malice steadily propels the pace forward as the story unfolds through the points of view of the four main characters, two couples - Sonya and Trey and Cleo and Owen. The developing relationship between them as couples and as four friends with a common goal is at the heart of this emotional story.

 The Seven Rings is an eerie ghost tale, an emotional story of family and the ties that bind them together: a story of good vs. evil, of perseverance, compassion, and love. Author Nora Roberts' signature style is evident throughout this spell binding, small town adventure into the land of haunted houses, evil witches, and battles to banish them by breaking a curse. As always, Roberts wraps it all up in the epilogue with a beautiful, happy ever after bow. Highly recommended to fans of the author and readers who enjoy paranormal romance and mystical realism.

Synopsis:

Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house—a manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.

After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.

But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future…

The Sister's Curse Review

Author: Nicola Solvinic

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Oct. 21, 2025

Special thanks to Berkley for a complimentary arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

There’s something in the water in Bayern County…

When mysterious drownings plague her small town, a detective haunted by her serial killer father must uncover whether revenge, ancient legends, or something darker lurks beneath the surface.

Review:

The Sister's Curse is a brilliantly rendered, chilling paranormal thriller that hooked this reader the moment I cracked open the cover, refusing to let go even after I read the final page. Author Nicola Solvinic seamlessly blends folklore, magical realism, procedural crime, Gothic horror and domestic drama in this mesmerizing follow up psychological thriller to last year's critically acclaimed The Hunter's Daughter in which readers were introduced to protagonist Lt. Anna Koray, the daughter of a serial killer. I'll admit to being skeptical that the author could deliver another masterpiece like the first book, but I'm delighted to say she delivered in spades, raising the bar to another level. Clear your schedule and settle into your favorite reading spot before starting this one because it'll grab and hold you to the volatile end.

 Lt. Anna Koray has settled in Bayern County, where legends, myths, and curses thrive. While Anna's still haunted by dark memories and nightmares of her serial killer father's final days, she's moving toward the light with a man she loves and her loyal dog by her side. All's good until the day she jumps in a lake to save a young boy who's drowning only to find herself fighting against an evil force that's sucking her and the boy under the water. When they finally escape, Anna is shocked at the strange marks on the boy's body as well as on her own. What evil lurks beneath the dark, swirling water? Was this an accident or is something more sinister brewing here? Days later, another victim is pulled from another lake with the same strange marks, leaving Anna's warning bells sounding. Something or someone is killing people in Bayern County. As it turns out, all the victims have a connection to a group of influential, wealthy men known as the Kings of Warsaw Creek. The same group of men who were accused, but not convicted, of being involved in the unsolved disappearance of a young girl years ago in which the sister vowed revenge. As the story unfolds, Anna is reminded she needs to tread carefully while conducting her investigation or suffer the consequences. With each new revelation, she’s drawn deeper into the darkness suffering extended periods of paranoia and illusions when she can't distinguish reality from dreams. What's happening to her? Is her biggest fear coming true? Has she inherited her father's evil traits? Is she truly her father's daughter? 

 Small town secrets and rumors abound in The Sister's Curse, a haunting tale that explores the age-old themes of nature vs. nurture and the life-altering effects of childhood trauma. Anna is a strong yet emotionally fragile protagonist who remains tormented by a deep-seated fear of inheriting her father's genes and propensity for ritualistic killing despite her vow to protect not harm. Her emotional psyche is tenuous at best as she's also scarred by her mother's accusations and abandonment and by vague memories surfacing about her mother's shadowy activities during periods of time when her father wasn't home. The story alternates between the present and flashbacks to Anna's childhood relayed through Anna's point of view. The well-timed pace steadily increases as the violence and Anna's hallucinations accelerate throughout the story, propelling an alarming tone of malice. A well-developed support cast muddies the water with a sordid range of possible villains, challenging readers to sift through the clues to solve the case and mystery. The Hunter's Daughter explored Anna's relationship with her father; The Sister's Curse takes a deep dive into her relationship with her mother both of which contribute to Anna's fractured psyche.

 The Sister's Curse is a hauntingly beautiful, evocative masterpiece of magical realism that takes a closer look at the long-lasting, potentially deadly results of childhood trauma and family abandonment in an age-old battle of good vs. evil and men vs. women. Highly atmospheric, the tension ladened story immerses readers in a mystic world where witches cast curses, the darker side of man rears its' ugly head, and enraged women seek vengeance. Steeped in legends, myths, folklore and the supernatural, Solvinic's lyrical prose and vivid imagery catapult this story to the next level. Highly recommended for fans of mystical realism, paranormal mysteries, and dark thrillers.

Synopsis:

Lieutenant Anna Koray thought she'd finally found solid ground and escaped her past as the daughter of a notorious serial killer. A loving boyfriend, a loyal dog, a life that almost feels normal—except darkness has a way of seeping in. When she saves a boy from drowning, the strange marks on his body tell a disturbing something in the depths tried to drag him under.

Days later, another victim surfaces with identical marks and Anna's instincts scream that these are no accidents. Both victims are connected to the Kings of Warsaw Creek—men of the town's wealthiest and most influential families. And they have enemies.

Others whisper that there are witches in Bayern County, seeking revenge for a long-ago murder. Perhaps it's the work of Vivian Carson, the enigmatic bartender who’s rumored to cast hexes on those who wrong her. Or maybe it’s a secret coven who’s been leaving serpentine symbols and skulls behind at the scenes of the drownings.

But Anna's investigation reveals an even more sinister something is stirring in the water, and it wants the Kings to pay.

With time running out and more victims appearing, Anna must separate superstition from truth. But in Bayern County, where legends and curses run deep as the water itself, one wrong step could drag her into the depths—this time for good.