Coming to you in February – a domestic thriller. Dive into the brain of a crazed writer. An abused writer. And a kid just trying to make it.
A family lives on an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Parents are aspiring writers and Samson, the son, attempts fitting in.
With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.
Once picking up this book, I felt the darkness. The horror. The tension.
I loved the vibe the Will Dean was able to project off the pages to the reader. I enjoyed the multiple POVs that wove the story together.
The knock of stars comes from the few nagging thoughts that popped up while reading. For instance, is this America or UK? I kept picturing America, but the lingo, words and even the fact they are on a long boat felt very United Kingdom.
I never connected with the MC Peggy. This made it difficult to understand her logic. Her need to protect her kid, the fear of her husband … but then … (no spoilers 😉 ) You never know what someone is thinking, why they make decisions they do while in a domestic violence situation. So I try to be understanding and this book does a good job to remind the reader to ‘check themselves’.
I really enjoyed watching Samson’s POV evolve. I felt it was very believable.
It’s overall a really solid, ‘okay’ book. I felt invested while I was reading it. I forgot about it. Remembered I have to write this review. Although I remember the story line, could tell you everything that happened, yet, I don’t have any strong feelings about it. Is that good? Bad? Maybe being entertained in the moment is great too!
Stats: 332 pages – Expected publication February 17, 2026
**Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
cmacs paperbacks 
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