To save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.

Wren Blythe has long enjoyed living in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, helping her father with ministry at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess who is believed to still roam the forest. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coonses' cabin ruins and a sinister mystery she is determined to unearth.

In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last several years carrying the mantle of mystery since the day she emerged from the woods as a thirteen-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger's ax. She has accepted she will never remember what happened to her family, whose bodies were never found, and that the people of Tempter's Creek will always blame her for their violent deaths. And after a member of the town is murdered, and another goes missing, rumors spread that Ava's secret is perhaps more malicious than previously imagined.

Two women, separated by time, must confront a wickedness that not only challenges who they are but also threatens their lives, and the lives of those they love.

Jaime Jo Wright captivates with . . .

"Fast pacing, great writing, deep spiritual truths, and just the right amount of spookiness."--BookPage

"Compassion, eerie eloquence, and astounding intensity."--Booklist

"Suspense and spine-tingling moments."--Library Journal

"Rich characterization and intricate plotting."--Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author

My Review:

No surprise here, but Jaime Jo Wright has penned yet another incredible #daylightread! 😜 No one quite writes spine-tingling suspense like Jaime Jo Wright, and boy does she sure keep me on my toes! For the most part this is a genre I won’t typically touch, however I have a firm trust in the author’s convictions that while she may spook you throughout her novels, she won’t conclude them with anything that steps outside the bounds of Christianity. That trust is strong enough that she is easily on my top must-read authors list and I’m always impatiently waiting for her next release.

This one quickly got my blood pumping, and the suspense was so palpable I couldn’t help but keep turning the pages–even when I was afraid to see what was lurking around the corner. The characters felt so real that I couldn’t help but be sucked into their world as if I were right in the midst of the chaos (hence the #daylightread haha). It was apparent that puzzle pieces didn’t quite fit together in the beginning, but the more they shuffled and twisted, I still wasn’t sure how everything would ultimately fit together in the end. While Ava was rediscovering the trauma of her past while being hunted by her neighbors following a fresh set of murders, Wren was part of a crew on a desperate search for a missing young girl. The deeper I got into the read, the more desperate I was for answers.

Thankfully I finished this one just before the sun went down on an evening when I didn’t have any big plans, because once again, the book fog was real. As always, I recommend reading in the daylight, but I absolutely give this one must-read status.

*I pre-ordered a copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.