When camp counselor Louise wakes up, she finds herself in a nightmare. Overnight, one of the campers, teenager Barbara, has disappeared and none of her bunkmates know where she has gone. The police are called and a search begins. But there are whispers that the case seems eerily similar to a disappearance that happened a decade ago. The victim? Barbara’s older brother, Bear. Is it just an unfortunate coincidence or is something more sinister going on?

Last year I read Liz Moore’s Bright Young River and it almost made my top 10 books of 2024 so I was excited to read her newest book. The story is told from the perspective of various characters; camp counselor Louise, Barbara’s mother Alice, Barbara’s bunkmate Tracy, detective Judy, and a couple of chapters told from other supporting characters. I mostly enjoyed this layout as I got the thoughts of various characters though there were a few characters’ POV I didn’t think was needed.

The book is well paced, however, despite being almost 500 pages. The atmosphere and feeling of the book was also well done. The story felt creepy and tension filled as the reader tries to uncover the truth about Bear and Barbara. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a mystery in the traditional sense. There are no clues really uncovered through a good chunk of the book and the little clues we do get comes in the last 100 pages. Some might find this frustrating but I believe it worked for story.

That being said, the ending and the truth about Bear and Barbara’s disappearances left a bit to be desired. Without giving any spoilers, I will only say that wasn’t as developed as the rest of the story and felt rushed. As a result, I was unable to give this a full five stars.

4 out of 5 stars