New Titles

National Geographic.



Date Published:

The caretaker : a novel

Kliewer, Marcus.


EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY. Macy Mullins can't say why the job posting grabbed her attention--it had the pull of a fisherman's lure, barbed hook and all--vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for. Besides, it's only three days' work... Three days, cooped up in a stranger's house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness. What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property--and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity. Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... ..--- / ..... / ---..
Date Published:2026

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY. Macy Mullins can't say why the job posting grabbed her attention--it had the pull of a fisherman's lure, barbed hook and all--vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for. Besides, it's only three days' work... Three days, cooped up in a stranger's house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness. What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property--and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity. Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... ..--- / ..... / ---..

Date Published:2026

The defector : the untold story of the KGB agent who exposed the CIA and saved MI5

Kerbaj, Richard.


"The Defector is the untold story of how the defection of KGB agent Oleg Lyalin led to the expulsion of more than a hundred Soviet spies from Britain. At the heart of Lyalin's story is a narrative entwined with lies, disinformation, Kremlin deception campaigns, paranoia, intelligence failures by the CIA and MI5, and a tangled love life. Unravelling amidst a Soviet mission to plant fake Kremlin 'defectors' within British and American intelligence agencies, this story reveals how the secrets Lyalin divulged, resulted in one of the most dramatic and pivotal moments in the Cold War. Lyalin led MI5 to rethink its relationship with the CIA and, ultimately, helped destroy the reputation of the US agency's head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton. Drawing on newly declassified intelligence files, dozens of interviews with spymasters, and told in full here for the first time by one of Britain's leading commentators on national security, this story reveals how during the darkest moments of the Cold War one of the West's greatest achievements transpired as a result of MI5's break with the CIA. The disclosure of the inside story of this historic event also comes at a time when there is a renewed tension in the relationship between transatlantic spy services - from the intelligence they share or hold back, to the way they respond to their political masters and stand up to threats from Russia."--
Date Published:2026

"The Defector is the untold story of how the defection of KGB agent Oleg Lyalin led to the expulsion of more than a hundred Soviet spies from Britain. At the heart of Lyalin's story is a narrative entwined with lies, disinformation, Kremlin deception campaigns, paranoia, intelligence failures by the CIA and MI5, and a tangled love life. Unravelling amidst a Soviet mission to plant fake Kremlin 'defectors' within British and American intelligence agencies, this story reveals how the secrets Lyalin divulged, resulted in one of the most dramatic and pivotal moments in the Cold War. Lyalin led MI5 to rethink its relationship with the CIA and, ultimately, helped destroy the reputation of the US agency's head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton. Drawing on newly declassified intelligence files, dozens of interviews with spymasters, and told in full here for the first time by one of Britain's leading commentators on national security, this story reveals how during the darkest moments of the Cold War one of the West's greatest achievements transpired as a result of MI5's break with the CIA. The disclosure of the inside story of this historic event also comes at a time when there is a renewed tension in the relationship between transatlantic spy services - from the intelligence they share or hold back, to the way they respond to their political masters and stand up to threats from Russia."--

Date Published:2026

The 29-minute vegan : real food, real vibes, anytime!

Moskowitz, Isa Chandra.


Includes index. All hail, the reigning vegan queen is back! Bestselling vegan author Isa Chandra Moskowitz shows readers how to get a plant-based meal on the table in just under 30 minutes. If you avoid cooking plant-based meals at home because they seems like a lot of work and/or an investment of time, Isa Chandra Moskowitz is here to say: Nope. These are more than 100 crazy-easy, super-fast, satisfying vegan meals perfect for the pacing of our busy lives. Moskowitz's loyal fans count on her mastery of vegan cooking, unique flavor profiles, frank humor, and punk style to offer guidance on all aspects of vegan cooking. Her recipes appeal to both lifelong vegans and aspiring vegans who crave the flavors, aromas, and textures of meat. Whether you're hungry for a comforting Massaman Curry or need your Taco Tuesday fix, or just crave a super-fast Green Curry Tofu Noodle Salad, Moskowitz will have you set up faster than ordering in.
Date Published:2026

Includes index. All hail, the reigning vegan queen is back! Bestselling vegan author Isa Chandra Moskowitz shows readers how to get a plant-based meal on the table in just under 30 minutes. If you avoid cooking plant-based meals at home because they seems like a lot of work and/or an investment of time, Isa Chandra Moskowitz is here to say: Nope. These are more than 100 crazy-easy, super-fast, satisfying vegan meals perfect for the pacing of our busy lives. Moskowitz's loyal fans count on her mastery of vegan cooking, unique flavor profiles, frank humor, and punk style to offer guidance on all aspects of vegan cooking. Her recipes appeal to both lifelong vegans and aspiring vegans who crave the flavors, aromas, and textures of meat. Whether you're hungry for a comforting Massaman Curry or need your Taco Tuesday fix, or just crave a super-fast Green Curry Tofu Noodle Salad, Moskowitz will have you set up faster than ordering in.

Date Published:2026

Murder by the book

Davies, M. R. G.


"Nothing is deadlier than angry readers... especially when you murder one of their own. When the manager of The Quaint Bookshop is found slumped between the shelves, the four members of the shop's reading group decide to put into action all the skills they've picked up from their favourite fictional detectives. If anyone knows how to solve a killer of a crime, it's a team of murder-mystery superfans. The police might be investigating but the reading group are on the case..."--
Date Published:2026

"Nothing is deadlier than angry readers... especially when you murder one of their own. When the manager of The Quaint Bookshop is found slumped between the shelves, the four members of the shop's reading group decide to put into action all the skills they've picked up from their favourite fictional detectives. If anyone knows how to solve a killer of a crime, it's a team of murder-mystery superfans. The police might be investigating but the reading group are on the case..."--

Date Published:2026

Chasing the clouds away : a novel

Macomber, Debbie.


"Maisy Gallagher has her own dreams, but when her father passes away, she selflessly sets them aside to help her family. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, she can't help but wish for the road not taken. Chase Furst, the hardened heir to a financial empire, is on the other hand primarily focused on his own life and on his work as a bank executive. His childhood was marred by his mother's struggle with addiction, and left him cynical and emotionally distant. But then Chase meets Maisy, a beautiful woman full of optimism and kindness who can see past his defenses. To his surprise and annoyance, she offers to help him during a time of need, and declines his offer of payment. Instead, she asks him to pay it forward--and not with money or a quick fix, but through an act of true selflessness. At a loss, Chase doesn't know where to begin"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2026

"Maisy Gallagher has her own dreams, but when her father passes away, she selflessly sets them aside to help her family. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, she can't help but wish for the road not taken. Chase Furst, the hardened heir to a financial empire, is on the other hand primarily focused on his own life and on his work as a bank executive. His childhood was marred by his mother's struggle with addiction, and left him cynical and emotionally distant. But then Chase meets Maisy, a beautiful woman full of optimism and kindness who can see past his defenses. To his surprise and annoyance, she offers to help him during a time of need, and declines his offer of payment. Instead, she asks him to pay it forward--and not with money or a quick fix, but through an act of true selflessness. At a loss, Chase doesn't know where to begin"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2026

Paradox : a novel

Preston, Douglas J.


When a reclusive man is found dead under grisly circumstances in the Colorado wilderness, CBI Agent Frankie Cash and Eagle County Sheriff Jim Colcord, whom we met in the bestseller, Extinction, team up again on their most enigmatic and dangerous case yet. Their investigation uncovers a trail of bizarre killings, baffling money transfers, and a fanatical secret society. And all the while, the resurrected Neanderthals, who vanished into the Colorado mountains, seem to be biding their time for something...spectacular.
Date Published:2026

When a reclusive man is found dead under grisly circumstances in the Colorado wilderness, CBI Agent Frankie Cash and Eagle County Sheriff Jim Colcord, whom we met in the bestseller, Extinction, team up again on their most enigmatic and dangerous case yet. Their investigation uncovers a trail of bizarre killings, baffling money transfers, and a fanatical secret society. And all the while, the resurrected Neanderthals, who vanished into the Colorado mountains, seem to be biding their time for something...spectacular.

Date Published:2026

How to cheat your own death : a novel

Perrin, Kristen.


1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she's stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington--a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her. Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura's new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest. Annie is no stranger to murder--after all, she's solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She's read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way. As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura's doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she's next. With her mother's life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it's too late?
Date Published:2026

1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she's stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington--a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her. Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura's new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest. Annie is no stranger to murder--after all, she's solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She's read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way. As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura's doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she's next. With her mother's life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it's too late?

Date Published:2026

The lost book of Elizabeth Barton

Brown, Jennifer N. (Jennifer Nancy)


"A dual-timeline murder mystery set in an English country manor, when an ambitious professor discovers the long-lost manuscript of a Reformation-era prophetess Historian Alison Sage has made a groundbreaking archival discovery--she found a manuscript containing the prophecies of a 16th century nun, Elizabeth Barton. Barton's prophecy condemning Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn led to her execution and the destruction of all copies of her prophecies--or so the world believed. With Alison's discovery, she is catapulted to academic superstardom and scores an invitation to the exclusive Codex Consortium, a week of research among a select handful of fellow historians at a crumbling manor in England, located next to the ruins of the priory where Elizabeth herself once lived. What begins as a promising conference turns into a nightmare as the eerie house becomes the site of a murder. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, and it seems that answers lie at the root of a local legend about centuries-old hidden treasure. Alison's research makes her best-suited to solve the mystery--but when old feelings resurface for a former colleague, and the stakes of the search skyrocket, everyone's motives become murky. Alison's cutthroat world of academia is almost as dangerous as Elizabeth Barton's sixteenth-century England, where heretics are beheaded, visions can kill, and knowing who to trust is a deadly art"-- Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2026

"A dual-timeline murder mystery set in an English country manor, when an ambitious professor discovers the long-lost manuscript of a Reformation-era prophetess Historian Alison Sage has made a groundbreaking archival discovery--she found a manuscript containing the prophecies of a 16th century nun, Elizabeth Barton. Barton's prophecy condemning Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn led to her execution and the destruction of all copies of her prophecies--or so the world believed. With Alison's discovery, she is catapulted to academic superstardom and scores an invitation to the exclusive Codex Consortium, a week of research among a select handful of fellow historians at a crumbling manor in England, located next to the ruins of the priory where Elizabeth herself once lived. What begins as a promising conference turns into a nightmare as the eerie house becomes the site of a murder. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, and it seems that answers lie at the root of a local legend about centuries-old hidden treasure. Alison's research makes her best-suited to solve the mystery--but when old feelings resurface for a former colleague, and the stakes of the search skyrocket, everyone's motives become murky. Alison's cutthroat world of academia is almost as dangerous as Elizabeth Barton's sixteenth-century England, where heretics are beheaded, visions can kill, and knowing who to trust is a deadly art"-- Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2026

Shadow strike

Taylor, Brad, 1965-


After its proxies are devastated and its offensive capability pummeled in the latest war in the middle east, a rogue group of Iranian regime officials create a brazen plot to strike back at their hated enemies once and for all. They envision a series of operational dominos culminating in a devastating attack, and the first step is the assassination of the Israeli prime minister. And there's only one assassin with the skills to pull it off: Abdul Rahman, known in the shadows as the Ghost. When a routine prison transfer is ambushed, the Ghost escapes and is given the assignment. The only Operator who can hunt him down is the man who stopped him before: Pike Logan. Pike and his team soon learn that the mission involves something bigger than just the escape of his old enemy. Working with Mossad agents, the pursuit leads the Taskforce to Argentina. They work to unravel the scope of the attack, and the chase leads them through the tempestuous waterfalls of Iguazu and the Triple Frontier, to the vibrant streets of Buenos Aires, and the tiny village of Ushuaia at the "End of the World". As the team races against the clock, Pike learns the stakes are much greater than a single life -- the consequences extend into the heartland of America itself. The Ghost may hold the key to an escalation that will upend the worldwide balance of power, and if Pike fails, the fallout won't just be personal -- it'll be global.
Date Published:2026

After its proxies are devastated and its offensive capability pummeled in the latest war in the middle east, a rogue group of Iranian regime officials create a brazen plot to strike back at their hated enemies once and for all. They envision a series of operational dominos culminating in a devastating attack, and the first step is the assassination of the Israeli prime minister. And there's only one assassin with the skills to pull it off: Abdul Rahman, known in the shadows as the Ghost. When a routine prison transfer is ambushed, the Ghost escapes and is given the assignment. The only Operator who can hunt him down is the man who stopped him before: Pike Logan. Pike and his team soon learn that the mission involves something bigger than just the escape of his old enemy. Working with Mossad agents, the pursuit leads the Taskforce to Argentina. They work to unravel the scope of the attack, and the chase leads them through the tempestuous waterfalls of Iguazu and the Triple Frontier, to the vibrant streets of Buenos Aires, and the tiny village of Ushuaia at the "End of the World". As the team races against the clock, Pike learns the stakes are much greater than a single life -- the consequences extend into the heartland of America itself. The Ghost may hold the key to an escalation that will upend the worldwide balance of power, and if Pike fails, the fallout won't just be personal -- it'll be global.

Date Published:2026

People.



Date Published:

The sea we call home

Demers, Dominique.


Translation of: L'été de la petite baleine. Little Gnouf and Mirabelle are ecstatic! They are going to see the sea for the first time in their lives; however, they never expected to find a young whale caught in a fishing net and washed ashore when they arrived. With the help of some new friends, the Gnoufs start devising a plan to free the little whale and get him back to the sea he calls home, but for two little Gnoufs, rescuing a whale is a big task. Mirabelle and Little Gnouf are determined to help, but are they up to the task?
Date Published:2026

Translation of: L'été de la petite baleine. Little Gnouf and Mirabelle are ecstatic! They are going to see the sea for the first time in their lives; however, they never expected to find a young whale caught in a fishing net and washed ashore when they arrived. With the help of some new friends, the Gnoufs start devising a plan to free the little whale and get him back to the sea he calls home, but for two little Gnoufs, rescuing a whale is a big task. Mirabelle and Little Gnouf are determined to help, but are they up to the task?

Date Published:2026

How not to make a jelly sandwich

Burach, Ross.


"Readers follow five unconventional steps to make a simple jelly sandwich. Why be simple when you can be silly? Frankie has her own way of doing things--the FUN way! In her world, the ordinary becomes more enjoyable with a little original thinking. If you want to make a delicious jelly sandwich, for example, just follow Frankie's five simple steps: 1. Disguise yourself as a duck, 2. Spin with an elephant, 3. Bathe a dog, 4. Organize a joust, 5. Train a hamster. Taking inspiration from the classic elementary school assignment, writing a "how to," this playful, twisty adventure, filled with ingenious ideas, is an unbridled celebration of imagination and creativity."--
Date Published:2026

"Readers follow five unconventional steps to make a simple jelly sandwich. Why be simple when you can be silly? Frankie has her own way of doing things--the FUN way! In her world, the ordinary becomes more enjoyable with a little original thinking. If you want to make a delicious jelly sandwich, for example, just follow Frankie's five simple steps: 1. Disguise yourself as a duck, 2. Spin with an elephant, 3. Bathe a dog, 4. Organize a joust, 5. Train a hamster. Taking inspiration from the classic elementary school assignment, writing a "how to," this playful, twisty adventure, filled with ingenious ideas, is an unbridled celebration of imagination and creativity."--

Date Published:2026

The ghost in Cabin 13

Phillipps, J. C. (Julie C.)


Beware of Cabin 13! When a devious ghost possesses Leah's doll, she must face her biggest fear--befriending the teen girls in her cabin to save the other campers from an evil spirit. Twelve-year-old Leah is nervous to attend sleepaway camp for the first time. She's worried about meeting new friends, living out in the woods, and being away from her family--the totally normal, non-supernatural scary stuff that all new campers think about. But Leah didn't expect to also have to fear the ghost in Cabin 13. It's a good thing she brought Beverly, her beloved doll, for comfort... Between getting picked on by the older mean girls in her cabin, participating in a séance gone terribly wrong, and befriending (then unfriending) a possessed doll, Leah's summer at Camp Cottontail goes from boring to straight-up spooky!
Date Published:2026

Beware of Cabin 13! When a devious ghost possesses Leah's doll, she must face her biggest fear--befriending the teen girls in her cabin to save the other campers from an evil spirit. Twelve-year-old Leah is nervous to attend sleepaway camp for the first time. She's worried about meeting new friends, living out in the woods, and being away from her family--the totally normal, non-supernatural scary stuff that all new campers think about. But Leah didn't expect to also have to fear the ghost in Cabin 13. It's a good thing she brought Beverly, her beloved doll, for comfort... Between getting picked on by the older mean girls in her cabin, participating in a séance gone terribly wrong, and befriending (then unfriending) a possessed doll, Leah's summer at Camp Cottontail goes from boring to straight-up spooky!

Date Published:2026

Spy school the graphic novel : secret service

Gibbs, Stuart, 1969-


Thirteen-year-old Ben Ripley is assigned to protect the president from an assassination attempt in his first solo mission during his second year at Spy School, but he may be in over his head.
Date Published:2026

The Baby-sitters Club a graphic novel : Dawn on the coast. 19, :

Nopra, Arley.


Dawn can't wait for her trip to California. Aside from all the sun and fun, it's her first visit since her brother, Jeff, moved back to live with their dad. California is better than Dawn ever remembered it. The beaches are beautiful, the local theme park is a blast, and Dawn is enjoying all her favorite foods. Plus, Dawn's best friend, Sunny, has even started her own baby-sitting club! Things are going so well that Dawn begins to wonder if she might want to stay in California with her dad and Jeff. Dawn is a California girl at heart, but could she really leave Stoneybrook -- and her mom and The Baby-sitters Club -- for good?
Date Published:2026

Dawn can't wait for her trip to California. Aside from all the sun and fun, it's her first visit since her brother, Jeff, moved back to live with their dad. California is better than Dawn ever remembered it. The beaches are beautiful, the local theme park is a blast, and Dawn is enjoying all her favorite foods. Plus, Dawn's best friend, Sunny, has even started her own baby-sitting club! Things are going so well that Dawn begins to wonder if she might want to stay in California with her dad and Jeff. Dawn is a California girl at heart, but could she really leave Stoneybrook -- and her mom and The Baby-sitters Club -- for good?

Date Published:2026

Report on business.



Date Published:

Small boat

Delecroix, Vincent, 1969-


Translation of: Naufrage. First published in French as Naufrage by Editions Gallimard in 2023. In November 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the English Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board. Despite receiving numerous calls for help, the French authorities wrongly told the migrants they were in British waters and had to call the British authorities for help. By the time rescue vessels arrived on the scene, nearly three hours later, all but two of the migrants had died, the worst single loss of life ever to occur in the Channel. Vincent Delecroix's acclaimed Small Boat is a fictional first-person account of the French navy officer who took the migrants' calls--and her attempts to justify the indefensible. Accused of failing in her duty, she refuses to be held more responsible than others for this disaster, than the crises behind these tragedies. What unfolds is a gripping, thought-provoking examination of the darkest threat to our humanity. Powerful, forceful, and haunting, Small Boat confronts the most difficult but important moral questions of our time: to what extent are we all complicit?
Date Published:2026

Translation of: Naufrage. First published in French as Naufrage by Editions Gallimard in 2023. In November 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the English Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board. Despite receiving numerous calls for help, the French authorities wrongly told the migrants they were in British waters and had to call the British authorities for help. By the time rescue vessels arrived on the scene, nearly three hours later, all but two of the migrants had died, the worst single loss of life ever to occur in the Channel. Vincent Delecroix's acclaimed Small Boat is a fictional first-person account of the French navy officer who took the migrants' calls--and her attempts to justify the indefensible. Accused of failing in her duty, she refuses to be held more responsible than others for this disaster, than the crises behind these tragedies. What unfolds is a gripping, thought-provoking examination of the darkest threat to our humanity. Powerful, forceful, and haunting, Small Boat confronts the most difficult but important moral questions of our time: to what extent are we all complicit?

Date Published:2026

The mountains we call home : the book woman's legacy : a novel

Richardson, Kim Michele.


Includes recipe. Includes reading group guide. "In this standalone and companion novel to the The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series, our heroine for the ages, legendary book woman, Cussy Lovett, returns home. A powerful testament of strength, survival, and the magic of the printed word, The Mountains We Call Home is wrapped into a vivid portrait of Kentucky life: examining incarceration and criminalization, exploring the effects on the poor and powerless, and tracing the societal consequences of fractured family bonds, along with nostalgic glimpses of a bustling, multifaceted Louisville, and heartwarming portraits of reading efforts in every facet of life. Meticulously researched and richly detailed with a new cast of absorbing and complex characters, this beautifully rendered, authentic Kentucky tale is gritty and heartbreaking and infused with hope, spirit, and courage known only to those with no way out"--
Date Published:2026

Includes recipe. Includes reading group guide. "In this standalone and companion novel to the The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series, our heroine for the ages, legendary book woman, Cussy Lovett, returns home. A powerful testament of strength, survival, and the magic of the printed word, The Mountains We Call Home is wrapped into a vivid portrait of Kentucky life: examining incarceration and criminalization, exploring the effects on the poor and powerless, and tracing the societal consequences of fractured family bonds, along with nostalgic glimpses of a bustling, multifaceted Louisville, and heartwarming portraits of reading efforts in every facet of life. Meticulously researched and richly detailed with a new cast of absorbing and complex characters, this beautifully rendered, authentic Kentucky tale is gritty and heartbreaking and infused with hope, spirit, and courage known only to those with no way out"--

Date Published:2026

Last one out : a novel

Harper, Jane (Jane Elizabeth)


Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company operating at its borders. A decade into its slow death, surrounded by industrial noise and swathed in thick layers of dust, the skeletal town is all but abandoned, with just a handful of residents clinging onto what remains. After years of scorning those who left the Ridge behind as it fell into ruin, Ro never imagined she'd become one of them. But everything changed when she lost her son. Five years ago, Sam vanished while visiting during a break from college, leaving behind a rental car with his belongings inside. Sam had loved Carralon Ridge, and had been working on an oral history of the town to preserve its legacy before it vanished altogether. It wasn't long after his disappearance that the rest of the family began to crumble away too. But when Ro returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her husband and daughter on the anniversary of Sam's disappearance, she begins to suspect that something important was overlooked in his case. Because while nothing can stop Carralon Ridge from dying, someone seems to want to make sure that its secrets die with it.
Date Published:2026

Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company operating at its borders. A decade into its slow death, surrounded by industrial noise and swathed in thick layers of dust, the skeletal town is all but abandoned, with just a handful of residents clinging onto what remains. After years of scorning those who left the Ridge behind as it fell into ruin, Ro never imagined she'd become one of them. But everything changed when she lost her son. Five years ago, Sam vanished while visiting during a break from college, leaving behind a rental car with his belongings inside. Sam had loved Carralon Ridge, and had been working on an oral history of the town to preserve its legacy before it vanished altogether. It wasn't long after his disappearance that the rest of the family began to crumble away too. But when Ro returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her husband and daughter on the anniversary of Sam's disappearance, she begins to suspect that something important was overlooked in his case. Because while nothing can stop Carralon Ridge from dying, someone seems to want to make sure that its secrets die with it.

Date Published:2026