Vicious creatures A novel of suspense

"Go down the path. Don't look back." The phrase is passed down through generations in Wildwood, Oregon, where a child vanishes into Reachwood Forest every decade or so. Ava Montgomery fled 14 years ago when the body of her high-school friend Adam Albright was found in the forest. Ava has returned to Wildwood with her teenage daughter, Marjorie, to hide from an abusive husband. Then she learns that another child is missing. Meanwhile, Marjorie falls under the spell of the forest's secret powers. Ava and her friends have long-hidden memories of what really happened to Adam, and when she receives threats, and as odd objects from her past begin appearing, it seems someone or "something" wants Ava to leave town. Is it just an urban legend that an unknown force lurks among the trees, or is it a youthful delusion, or is there really an ageless, murderous presence in the forest? This chillingly rendered debut thriller, rich in gothic atmosphere, from a promising new voice is guaranteed to make the reader want to close the curtains and bar the door.

Thirty-three-year-old Ava Montgomery, the narrator of Noone's splendid debut, a novel of gothic suspense, is nearly broke and in the middle of a contested divorce from her abusive husband when she reluctantly retreats to Reachwood, Ore., her childhood home, with her 14-year-old daughter. Nothing much has changed in the small town surrounded by a dark and dangerous forest. The same wealthy families--the Albrights, Harts, and Gallaghers--still reign supreme, and "one child vanishes into the forest every decade or so. Just long enough for the neighborhood to start to forget." Ava left Reachwood as a teen to escape accusations she played a role in the death of Adam Albright, a high school classmate. When she starts receiving threats, it's clear that there are those who still hold her responsible for Adam's death. What has her return set in motion? Shifts between present-day chapters and those set 15 years earlier build and maintain tension. All the while, the brooding forest plays its part in this disturbing drama distinguished by vivid prose, credible characters, and assured pacing. Noone is off to a terrific start. Agent: Penelope Burns, Gelfman-Schneider ICM Partners. (July)