On a bitter winter’s night in Pine Creek, 1989, central New South Wales, 14-year-old city boy Alec tells his mother a secret before he goes to bed.It’s the last time she will see him alive.In the weeks before, forbidden to go near the new neighbours, Sara is watching when Alec is threatened by a stranger, and later, when he meets secretly with someone familiar.When Alec goes missing, the incidents take on new significance, but in the menacing shadow of her father, S...

Finalist 2024 National Indie Excellence awards and 2023 CLUE Book Awards for Suspense/Thrillers.On a bitter winter's night in Pine Creek, central New South Wales, 14-year-old city boy Alec, tells his mother a secret before he goes to bed.It's the last time she will see him alive.In the weeks before, forbidden to go near the new neighbours, Sara is watching when Alec is threatened by a stranger, and later, when he meets secretly with someone familiar...