A member of the local Metro Wriders writing group, Nellums makes her fiction debut with a mystery that features a touch of magic realism and an endearing six-year-old narrator. Aoife, along with her imaginary friend Teddy and nosy next-door neighbor, is determined to find out what happened to her brother, Theo; she knows he’s dead, but remains puzzled by the details. Another question: why is her mother in the hospital, and will she ever come home? As her search takes her from Theo’s secret hideout to far flung locations in Detroit, Aoife also plunges deeper into her family’s secrets.
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Walters, a prolific short-story writer, who won This is Horror’s Short Story Collection of the Year for Sing Me Your Scars, turns to the novel to tell this chilling supernatural coming-of-age story. It follows Heather Cole, a happily married, successful child psychologist, as the sudden reappearance of a necklace turns her world upside down. The jewelry belonged to her childhood friend, Becca, who, with Heather, was part of a group of preteens who told each other scary stories—until Becca became obsessed with one concerning the Red Lady and was killed. As Heather plunges back into memories, she must confront her role in her friend’s fate and test the reality of the Red Lady’s penchant for supernatural vengeance.