A step past darkness

A step past darkness

Vera Kurian

Book - 2024

"There's something sinister under the surface of the idyllic, suburban town of Wesley Falls, and it's not just the abandoned coal mine that lies beneath it. The summer of 1995 kicks off with a party in the mine where six high school students witness a horrifying crime that changes the course of their lives. The six couldn't be more different. Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch. Kelly, the bookworm next door. James, a cynical burnout. Casey, a loveable football player. Padma, the shy straight-A student. Jia, who's starting to see visions she can't explain. When they realize that they can't trust anyone but each other, they begin to investigate what happened on their own. As tensions escalate in ...town to a breaking point, the six make a vow of silence, bury all their evidence, and promise to never contact each other again. Their plan works - almost. Twenty years later, Jia calls them all back to Wesley Falls--Maddy has been murdered, and they are the only ones who can uncover why. But to end things, they have to return to the mine one last time"--

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FICTION/Kurian Vera
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor FICTION/Kurian Vera Checked In
Subjects
Coal mines and mining > Fiction.
Witnesses > Fiction.
Murder > Fiction.
Thrillers (Fiction)
Novels.
Genres
Thrillers (Fiction)
Novels
Published
Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Park Row Books [2024]
Language
English
Main Author
Vera Kurian (author)
Physical Description
440 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780778310761
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

In 1995, Wesley Falls, Pennsylvania, is controlled by the megachurch Golden Praise, led by charismatic pastor Jim Priess. Local teen Jia Kwon is hiding her psychic visions, unwilling to give the pious townspeople ammunition against her. Then Jia, best friend Padma, top jock Casey, Queen Bee Maddy, bad boy James, and loyal Kelly are assigned to a team history project about the local mine. While exploring, they witness Golden Praise elders tossing six teens into the mine's virtually bottomless Heart. With that, their focus shifts to discovering the connection between the murders, Golden Praise, and the disturbing aura Jia senses around Priess. After unearthing reality-shaking secrets, they take action and believe that they've freed Wesley Falls from evil. But when Jia returns 20 years later to help find a missing person, she finds Maddy's body and a new minister at Golden Praise who bears an unsettling resemblance to Priess. Jia summons the gang back to Wesley Falls to avenge Maddy and finish what they started as kids. Through flashbacks and the gang's emotionally powerful reunion, Kurian draws readers in, invoking strong Goonies vibes. Here, as in her debut, Never Saw Me Coming (2023), Kurian creates unforgettable characters, breathless suspense, and original plotting. A must-read for fans of C. J. Tudor and Jennifer McMahon.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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