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A Novel
by Caitlin Mullen
A small-town detective reopens an unsolved case, sending shock waves across generations of women in this gripping new mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author of Please See Us.
1994. In the myth-riddled woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, sixteen-year-old Annabelle Riley's twin sister, Sabrina, has been having an affair with a mysterious older man, and Annabelle is determined to uncover what's going on. Then, inexplicably, both sisters disappear.
In this same town years later, newly instated police chief Callie Hauser makes an arrest that unexpectedly resurrects details from a heartbreaking cold case. As she digs deeper, the past and the present collide, challenging everything Callie believes about right and wrong, who she is, and the town she's always called home.
A propulsive mystery as incisive as it is forgiving, Heather bears a visceral reminder that the truth of a woman's life is often complicated and unknowable―to those on the outside, and sometimes even to herself.
"A haunting exploration of how far people will go to feel seen, a searing indictment of a man who exploited the most vulnerable, and a powerful testament to the devastating consequences and the remarkable strength and resilience that follow. This powerful novel will appeal to fans of Allen Eskens, Elle Marr, and Brad Parks." —Library Journal (starred review)
"A slow-burn mystery held together by an admirable cast of strong, flawed women...Mullen offers hope that by standing alongside one another, women not only survive, but preserve the stories of those they have lost." —Kirkus Reviews
"Packs an undeniable punch" —Publishers Weekly
"A challenging read, but worth it, especially for the haunting theme of the presentness of the past." —Booklist
"Caitlin Mullen's Heather is the rare book that manages to be both a riveting page-turner and a deeply insightful meditation on the lives of girls and women. A story of mothers, daughters, and the tangled bonds of sisterhood, Heather reveals each character in her full complexity―hard and soft, struggling and empowered, each with her own past full of regrets and fiercely-earned triumphs. The final pages took my breath away." ―Alexis Schaitkin, author of Saint X and Elsewhere
"Heather is not only a compelling mystery, but also a deeply empathic portrait of women's lives in all their complexities. A thought-provoking and engaging read that stays with you long after you finish." ―Amy Tintera, author of New York Times bestseller Listen for the Lie
This information about Heather was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Caitlin Mullen is the author of Please See Us, which won the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was named a New York Times best crime novel in 2020. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.
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