Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

A group of teenagers must reckon with their shared past after they’re dragged into a deadly underworld filled with creatures from Japanese folklore in this Jumanji-inspired horror by Simmons (the Vale Hall series). Four years ago, 13-year-old best friends Dax, Emerson, Ian, Madeline, and Owen started a card game in a cave by the river, but harrowing events forced the teens to flee. Four years later, the now-17-year-olds are estranged, and they don’t talk about what happened—especially not the fact that they left Ian behind for dead. When they each begin seeing horrifying visions of Ian imploring them to finish the game, the group returns to the cave. There, they enter an otherworldly netherverse where they must complete a series of nightmarish challenges in order to rescue Ian and get back home. Told via dynamic changing perspectives, this rapidly paced narrative is alight with unsettling atmosphere and eerie instances of body and psychological horror that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)