16 March 2026

This is Mary Kubica at her best! This is the ninth Kubica book I have read and only the second to earn a five-star rating from me. Finding her books locally is never easy, so a big thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for this review copy.

I absolutely loved this book and simply could not turn the pages fast enough. The twists in this one are brilliant.

Two families go on holiday to a rundown campsite by the lake: the Grays — Courtney, Elliott and Cass — and the Cranes — Nolan (Courtney’s brother), Emily, Reese, Wyatt and Mae. After the two youngest girls, Cass and Mae, have a sleepover, Mae returns to her cabin only to come rushing back to Courtney. When Courtney goes to investigate, she discovers Emily and Nolan brutally murdered. What follows is not only the fear of a killer lurking nearby, but also the desperate search for a missing seventeen-year-old.

As Courtney tries to find out what happened to her brother and sister-in-law, and locate her missing niece, she begins to uncover secrets about her family she never expected.

I was quickly drawn into this story. The brutal opening hooked me immediately. As Courtney pieces together the events of the previous few days, I found myself suspicious of everyone. Every time I thought I had figured it out, the author introduced new information that made me question my assumptions. Kubica beautifully unravels this story, allowing the reader to share Courtney’s emotions. Her fear for her niece’s safety feels very real, and her determination to take action rather than simply wait for news adds to the tension.

Kubica also does a fantastic job of making you doubt everyone. Telling the story from both Courtney and Reese’s perspectives allows the reader to experience events through the eyes of both a mother and a teenage daughter, which adds depth to the narrative and broadens the book’s appeal. (I am recommending this one to Alicia — I think she will love it.)

The characters were excellent. I especially loved how guilty Elliott appears throughout the story. You know he is hiding something — but the truth behind that is something you will have to discover for yourself. And Wyatt — he may only be a child, but I disliked him immensely. The relationship between Reese and Emily also felt very realistic. Kubica did a wonderful job portraying their tense mother-daughter dynamic, which was one of the highlights of the book for me.

I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Whether you are a seasoned Kubica fan or someone who has never read her books before, you are going to love this one. Please add it to your TBR.