Critically acclaimed international bestseller Jane Harper returns.

A mother disappears from a busy festival on a warm spring night.

Her baby lies alone in the pram, her mother’s possessions surrounding her, waiting for a return which never comes.

A year later, Kim Gillespie’s absence still casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations on a rare break from work is federal investigator Aaron Falk, who begins to suspect that all is not as it seems.

As he looks into Kim’s case, long-held secrets and resentments begin to come to the fore, secrets that show that her community is not as close as it appears.

Falk will have to tread carefully if he is to expose the dark fractures at its heart, but sometimes it takes an outsider to get to the truth…

An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.

Pre-order your copy now.

Praise for Jane Harper:

The Dry ‘Spellbinding’ - Ian Rankin ‘A sense of place so vivid that you can almost feel the blistering heat’ - Guardian ‘A stunningly atmospheric read’ - Val McDermid

Force of Nature ‘This gripping thriller will have readers hooked’ - Sunday Telegraph ‘Brilliantly paced, it wrong-foots the reader like a rocky trail through the bush. I adored it’ - Susie Steiner ‘Thoughtful, moving, troubling’ - Irish Times

The Lost Man ‘I devoured it in a day. Her best yet!’ - Liane Moriarty ‘Harper secures her place as queen of outback noir’ - Sunday Times ‘It totally transcends genre, and it should win all the prizes’ Marian Keyes

The Survivors ‘A gripping mystery… her best book yet’ - Evening Standard ‘Phenomenal.’ - Chris Whitaker ‘A compelling, terrifying thriller’ - Observer