NO BEAUTIES OR MONSTERS

Riley’s return to the Marine Corps base Twentynine Palms after four years is supposed to be a fresh start, but reality has different plans for her.

When Riley’s family goes back to her late grandfather’s house in the Mojave Desert for the first time since her dad died, the place is full of both sad and happy memories. Riley is eager to see her friends Nathan and Lily again, the brother and sister whose company she enjoyed all those summers ago. But she discovers that Lily went missing a year ago after last being seen near Riley’s grandfather’s cabin—and she’s one of many people who have disappeared without a trace in the local area. It seems there is a vicious serial killer on the loose. Then Riley herself starts to feel marooned when she experiences gaps in her memory and sees things that are not there. Is she losing her mind, or is there something strange happening in Twentynine Palms? This riveting thriller mixes an intriguing narrator with elements of science fiction and horror to tell a character-driven story that focuses on family, friends, and, above all, love. Although Riley’s actions can be frustrating, she is refreshingly not alone in her investigations, and she is able to count on many of those around her. Riley is assumed White; there is ethnic diversity in the supporting cast.

An eerie and imaginative science-fiction thriller.