The Restless Dark

Sadie meets Wilder Girls in this unnerving tale about the struggle for survival, the twisted satisfaction of revenge, and the darkness hiding in all of us. From Erica Waters, the acclaimed author of Ghost Wood Song and The River Has Teeth, this mystery will haunt you to the end.

The Cloudkiss Killer is dead. Now a true-crime podcast is hosting a contest to find his bones.

Lucy was almost the serial killer’s final victim. Carolina is a true-crime fan who fears her own rage. Maggie is a psychology student with a little too much to hide.

All of them are looking for answers, for a new identity, for a place to bury their secrets.

But there are more than bones hiding in the shadows…sometimes the darkness inside is more frightening than anything the dead leave behind.

Praise for Erica Waters’ The River Has Teeth and Ghost Wood Song:

“Potent, atmospheric, and wholly satisfying.”  —Kirkus (starred review)

“A backwoods murder ballad of a book. [The River Has Teeth] is well worth a listen.” —NPR

"The River Has Teeth is the perfect story for anyone who is tired of feeling helpless. This book has teeth, too."  —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

 “A gorgeous, creepy gem of a book. Ghost Wood Song weaves a captivating spell you won’t want to break.”   —Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn and Sawkill Girls

"Ghost Wood Song will make your heart dance."  —Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

"The perfect balance of atmospheric chills, dark familial secrets, and a yearning for the warm comforts of home." —Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

What happens when three girls enter a contest where the biggest danger isn’t the dead killer, but the darkness they find in the canyon—and in themselves?

• A Chilling Survival Story: Lucy was the Cloudkiss Killer’s final victim—the one who got away. Now, she’s returned to the scene of the crime to find his bones and bury her past for good.
• Dark Sapphic Obsession: As three strangers with their own secrets are thrown together, the suffocating atmosphere of the canyon fuels a dark and twisting obsession between them.
• Unreliable Narrators: In a place known to warp reality, the girls must question what’s real: the ghosts in the fog, the threats from other contestants, or the frightening impulses inside their own minds.
• Creepy Canyon Setting: Cloudkiss Canyon has a dark history as a dumping ground for secrets and bodies. When the fog rolls in, there’s no telling what might come out of it.