Richard Bailey

A gothic tale of mysticism and violent crime. Two women go out into the fringe of rural culture to seek a revelation. They get trapped in a fierce place, and one murders a man with an ax after she has a vision that he is an evil thing.

Sisters Jorie and Kaidon attempt to reconnect over a vacation in the woods after a terrible secret drove them apart. But there is a hidden power in the forest that measures life and death, and this power means to weigh the sister's future against the dark crime from their past.

Poet Leni is on the eve of receiving a major award. Her son and publisher have arranged a party for her. While out on a walk in the woods, Leni receives an apocalyptic vision. She's convinced her award is a platform to share this vision as a warning to the world. Leni's family and friends are worried for her reputation as the party lights up with wild ideas and unusual images.

A forgotten artist's work is rediscovered, raising questions: does the work of self creation end when we do, or does that little universe of self somehow continue to expand through the consequences that we leave behind?

Detective Miriam Leaf investigates the disappearance of three women. The missing women are academics who'd been studying "lady of the lake" stories across the American south. The case turns dreamy and strange when Miriam starts having visions of Judith, a powerful ghost of the lake.