A Darkness Absolute

In Armstrong’s gripping follow-up to 2016’s City of the Lost, Det. Casey Duncan and Deputy Will Anders find themselves stranded during a snow storm while trying to track down a cabin-fever stricken member of Rockton, an isolated, off-the-grid town deep in the Canadian Yukon. Forced to shelter overnight in a cave, Duncan and Anders make a horrific discovery—a woman thought killed has instead been held captive in a pit for more than a year. Further exploration of the cave system leads them to discover the bodies of two women, with signs pointing to the same perpetrator. Duncan and Sheriff Dalton have reason to believe that this time the threat comes from outside the borders of Rockton, which serves its residents as a haven. But the investigators can’t escape the fact that members of their own tiny community have dark—and potentially dangerous—secrets hidden in their pasts. The unusual setup and isolated location increase tension in a fast-paced entry that will keep readers guessing. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada). (Feb.)