Ruby Falls - by Gin Phillips (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

One body. Five suspects. Total darkness.

A tense, claustrophobic historical mystery set almost entirely underground at the onset of the Great Depression about the discovery of a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain, the unthinkable crime that happens in its caves, and a woman who's never felt more alive.

In 1928, a Chattanooga man disappears down a hole in the ground and discovers a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain that he names after his wife: Ruby Falls. Within months, visitors can buy tickets to see the falls for themselves. Ada Smith has been sneaking into the caves at night, entranced by the natural wonders around her and the freedom granted by this new underground world.

But it's tough timing for a natural wonder. As the country flounders in the Great Depression, a shrewd public relations ploy seems like the only way to save Ruby Falls. A famous mind reader and mystic agrees to launch himself into the Ruby Falls caverns where he will attempt to locate a hidden hatpin using only his psychic abilities. He'll be joined by five others: his manager, his wife, a guide, a Chattanooga businessman, and a reporter from the Chicago Times. But they're not alone in the caverns. Ada and another guide, Quinton, have been asked to follow the mind reader's party at a distance, staying out of sight. They are a safety net, in case of a broken leg or busted flashlights.

One of them will be dead before the end of the day.

Faced with a corpse and the stark reality that one of the people in her midst is a killer, Ada needs to get everyone--the murderer and the innocents--back aboveground before their light runs out.

Ruby Falls is both a unique twist on the locked-room mystery and an exploration of loss and what it means to start over. It's a heart-racing story of survival and a testament to the threads that bind strangers together. Set against the true story of the discovery of Ruby Falls, the novel also draws on the memoirs of Katie Stabler, a female guide at Wind Caves in South Dakota.

Review Quotes

Praise for Gin Phillips:

"Expertly made thriller . . . clever and irresistible." --The New York Times, on Fierce Kingdom

"A shot of pure adrenaline. But it's not just the action that will keep you turning pages: Fierce Kingdom is a moving story too." --Entertainment Weekly, on Fierce Kingdom

"Phillips manages to combine beautiful imagery with heart-pounding, nerve-fraying intensity. . . . Fans of literary page-turners, like Sunil Yapa's Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, won't want to miss this." --Booklist (starred review)

"Phillips' characters are exquisitely rendered...her prose is artful and evocative. Poignant and profound, this adrenaline- fueled thriller will shatter readers like a bullet through bone." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on Fierce Kingdom

"A terrifying book, but more importantly, a beautiful one." --NPR, on Fierce Kingdom

"A powerhouse of a read that balances empathy and fear as it poses complex questions about human nature." --Washington Independent Review of Books on Fierce Kingdom

"In language as spare and evocative as New Mexico's landscape, author Gin Phillips shapes a love story that lingers in the imagination." --USA Today on Come in and Cover Me

"Gin Phillips writes with astounding clarity, abundant grace, and scything, clear-eyed love; this book is simply exceptional. ...The reading felt like revelation. Family Law is both raw and perfectly controlled. It is emotionally resonant and wholly absorbing. I loved it, and you will, too." --Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling novelist, on Family Law

"Gin Phillips has a remarkable ear for dialogue and a tenderhearted eye for detail... A whisper runs through the novel--the ghost of places and people and luscious peach pies." --Los Angeles Times on The Well and the Mine

About the Author

Gin Phillips is the author of seven novels, and her work has been sold in 29 countries. Her debut novel, The Well and the Mine, won the 2009 Barnes & Noble Discover Award. Her novel Fierce Kingdom was named one of the best books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly, NPR, Amazon, and Kirkus Reviews. She's a Tall Poppy Writer, and she currently lives in Birmingham, Al., with her family.