"This one may well appeal to reluctant readers; the interview style moving the story along quickly. As one gets to know each teen, the mystery grows." — Youth Services Book Review

"A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises." — Kirkus Reviews

2023-01-25
Five teens go camping, but only four return.

Maylee decides she wants to go on a spur-of-the-moment camping trip. The group ends up including her boyfriend, John; her best friend, Petra; Petra’s stepbrother, Nolan; and classmate Abigail. Their destination is Salvation Creek, a wooded area in the Pacific Northwest that is notorious due to the girls who have disappeared there—as well as being known to cryptid enthusiasts like Nolan for its Bigfoot activity. Petra’s Type A personality clashes with Maylee’s impulsivity as the latter seemingly randomly invites Abigail, a girl Petra didn’t know Maylee had any connection with. Meanwhile, Abigail has problems with John and his purported involvement in another classmate’s car accident. Suspicions run high when Maylee vanishes during the night following a huge argument within the group, as each teen has a different opinion about what to do next. The story is told in the form of transcripts of the police interviews with John, Petra, Nolan, and Abigail as they run through the weekend’s events from their individual perspectives, bringing a sense of immediacy to the story. Each character holds a piece of the puzzle, but each of them is unreliable to a certain degree, as they have secrets they wish to keep hidden. The combination of both long and short chapters contributes to the excellent pacing, making it hard to put down. Most characters are White; John is Black.

A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises. (Thriller. 14-18)