The Briars
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 13 Jan 2026
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- 16,99 €
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- Pre-Order
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- 16,99 €
Publisher Description
The USA TODAY bestselling author of Middletide returns with a lush and atmospheric novel of suspense following a young woman whose job as a game warden puts her in the path of a murderer in a small town eager to protect its own.
Desperate to escape a relationship gone bad, Annie Heston flees north to accept a job as a game warden in Lake Lumin, a picturesque town in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
A cougar has been spotted in the area, and as Annie warns the community of the threat, she quickly discovers that not everyone in the tight-knit town is welcoming of outsiders, except for Daniel Barela, a reclusive carpenter who lives in the shadow of the mountain. They form an instant bond, though Annie soon comes to realize there is more to his past than meets the eye.
When the body of a young woman is found in the briars that border Daniel’s property, the peace Annie has found in Lake Lumin shatters. As she assists the local sheriff with the investigation, Annie must rely on her wilderness training and intuition to find a murderer hiding in plain sight.
Urgent and emotionally complex, The Briars is a captivating literary thriller that marries an exploration of human nature with a plot as thorny and twisted as the brambles for which it is named.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Game warden Annie Heston seeks a fresh start in the misty forests of Washington State in the haunting latest from Crouch (Middletide). Following a bad breakup, Annie has relocated to the small town of Lake Lumins. Her first job tracking a cougar for local sheriff Jake Proudy takes a grim turn when Annie discovers the body of a young woman near the town's central lake. Though the cause of death initially appears to be an animal attack, the coroner's report soon reveals the girl was strangled. Annie's subsequent investigation leads her to Daniel Barela, a reclusive 22-year-old who owns land near the lake. Their cautious friendship deepens as Daniel confides in Annie that his real name is Nico, and he faked his death as a teenager to escape an abusive stepfather who accused him of attempted murder. When a second killing rocks Lake Lumins, suspicion falls on Daniel, especially after Annie finds his belongings at the scene, but the truth is much more complicated. Crouch takes a character-first approach to this crackling regional mystery, grounding the intrigue in Annie's emotional wounds before tying everything together in a tense, emotional conclusion. Readers will find it hard to look away.
