Description

The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller

‘A book to get lost in’ Ann Cleeves
‘Utterly brilliant. I could not put it down’ Marian Keyes

Five years ago, Sam Crowley vanished on his twenty-first birthday. The only clues were his footprints in the dust of three abandoned houses.

One set in. One set out.

Now, his mother Ro returns to the dying town of Carralon Ridge. The community is a ghost of its former self, fractured by the encroaching mining operation and years of unspoken grief.

Ro is looking for answers. But in a town where everyone is leaving, the few who remain are guarding closely held secrets.

In this disappearing landscape, can Ro find the truth before the dust settles forever?

‘I was glued to it for days’ – Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
‘An exquisite lament for a lost son, a lost marriage and a lost town with a dark mystery at its heart’ – Daily Mail
‘The drama grows to a spectacular crescendo that will leave you gasping’ Daily Express

Publisher Review

This is a slow-burn of a novel, claustrophobic and compelling. It's a wonderful exploration of fractured families and communities, and the conclusion is both shocking and inevitable. A book to get lost in -- Ann Cleeves, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Killing Stones Jane Harper is mistress of the threats and secrets that threaten life in the backwoods small towns of Australia. She delivers unbearable tension every time -- Val McDermid, bestselling author of 1989 An exceptional book. The sense of place is very powerful and her characterization is utterly brilliant . . . I could not put it down -- Marian Keyes, Sunday Times bestselling author of My Favorite Mistake A tale of old sins casting long shadows. It is like a locked room mystery with narrow silos of suspects and motives, but it is much more than that. Harper excels at making the reader feel every emotion, every moment of doubt, the thrill of a possible breakthrough, the wrench of another dead end. She takes the reader on a memorable journey that will pull at the heart, stiffen the spine, and thrill the reader. No one can ask for more than that. -- David Baldacci, Sunday Times bestselling author of Nash Falls This intricate story of a dying town and its residents is beautifully written and incredibly atmospheric. Heartbreaking and wonderful. -- Andrea Mara, No. 1 bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing I am a huge Jane Harper fan, and absolutely loved Last One Out. The atmosphere of a dying town, combined with Jane's brilliant characterisation plus a confounding mystery meant I was glued to it for days -- Jennie Godfrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things Jane Harper delivers another intricate and compelling novel, this one exploring the myriad ways in which 'home' can hurt and heal us. An unforgettable book with a shocking and satisfying twist. -- Sarah Hilary, author of Black Thorn I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries -- Stephen King Jane Harper . . . she remains incontrovertibly the reigning queen of Aussie crime fiction -- Financial Times