‘Stacy is a must-read author!’ SARAH PEARSE

‘A brilliant crime writing talent’ JANE CASEY

Twenty-six years ago, she escaped a monster. Now, he’s walking free.

In 1999, four ten-year-old girls vanished from Fairhope, Alabama. Only Rachel Pratt fought her way free. Her childhood testimony put Simon Burkett behind bars, cementing Rachel’s legacy as the sole survivor of the ‘Fairhope Four’.

Rachel has spent decades burying the trauma – until Simon’s conviction is overturned on a technicality. Thrust back into the national spotlight, the hometown hero is now the villain accused of sending an innocent man to death row.

Then, history repeats itself. Days after Simon walks free, Rachel’s childhood best friend calls with a terrifying plea: her young daughter has vanished without a trace.

Forced back to Fairhope, Rachel launches a desperate investigation to find the missing girl. But as past and present collide, her memories of that fateful summer begin to fracture. And with the clock ticking, she faces a horrifying question: Did she lock up the wrong man all those years ago? Or has a predator just been welcomed home with open arms?

Praise for Stacy Willingham

‘Utterly compelling’ – Jeffery Deaver

‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story’ – Karin Slaughter

‘Tense, twisty and threatening’ – Val McDermid

'A pitch dark, pitch perfect novel' – Andrea Mara

'Utterly hypnotic … Reader beware—this will keep you breathless to the very end' – Lisa Gardner

‘Superbly rendered’ – The Times

‘Spectacular’ – Daily Mail

‘I couldn’t put this one down’ – Prima

‘Edge of your seat stuff . . . incredibly atmospheric and tricky’ – Platinum