Lisa M. Matlin

A failed TV news reporter with a talent for shark-fishing returns to her hometown just as bodies begin washing ashore in this nail-biting suspense novel from the author of The Stranger Upstairs. Minnow Greenwood, previously known for stealing her way into the hearts of viewers as Melbourne's number one morning show host, is now back in her small hometown of Kangaroo Bay. After a horrifying and unexpected episode, she has no choice but to join her estranged brother in their family business of shark fishing. For an insomniac like Minnow, the work is strangely thrilling--there's something alluring about the dark water at night. Something exciting, grimy... fitting. And maybe it's not even so bad reconnecting with her brother, who's the only person who ever saw her for herself. But the last thing she expects to surface on the beach is a human body. Kangaroo Bay is a town quietly brimming with rage towards invasive tourists and host to a disquieting number of shark attacks--there's no sympathy for the wayward swimmer. Except the media soon uncover that the victim was declared missing weeks before, and was long dead before they even entered the water. When the journalist in Minnow kicks back into drive, she discovers something else: for over forty years, there have been a steady number of missing persons around the area, including her own father's disappearance ten years ago. This is her one opportunity to reclaim her career as a journalist, and to learn what really happened to her father, but as Minnow digs deeper into the spate of missing tourists and the mystery of her father, she realizes someone is desperate to keep the secrets buried. . .and then another body washes ashore.

Most people wouldn't buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun . . . but Sarah Slade is not most people. "This debut novel deftly explores our shadows--the dark parts of ourselves we don't want others to see. I couldn't stop reading."--Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Writing RetreatA POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a potent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is as tainted as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor. But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who would want to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood's horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirm for Sarah what the rest of the town already knows: Something is very wrong in that house. With every passing moment, Sarah's life spirals further out of control--and with it her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house's secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

Most people wouldn't buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun. But Sarah Slade is not most people. A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor. But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who wants to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood's horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house. With every passing moment, Sarah's life spirals further out of control--and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house's secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.