Instruments of Night

Will the truth bring peace—or pain? A "once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece" by the Edgar Award–winning author (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Mystery writer Paul Graves, a man with a painful past, has come to an artists' retreat in New York's quiet, picturesque Hudson Valley. But his purpose for being there is not a pleasant escape. He's been tasked with something more unusual.


Long ago, when Riverwood was a private estate, a teenage girl was murdered there—a crime that remains unsolved to this day. Now the victim's elderly mother is dying, and her final wish is to learn what happened to her daughter. For the sake of this grieving woman, Graves has been asked to craft a story that answers her questions and provides a sense of closure. But he may have to choose between truth and kindness . . .


"Eerie suspense . . . Although it's easy to miss the very real clues that Cook drops so artfully into the story, there's no ignoring his savage imagery, or escaping the airless chambers of his disturbing imagination." —The New York Times Book Review

"[An] indelibly haunting tale that once again demonstrates that he is among the best in the business." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"Hypnotic." —Minneapolis Star-Tribune