The Sister's Curse - by Nicola Solvinic (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Lieutenant Anna Koray still can't outrun the darkness. She's started living with her boyfriend and she even has a dog. Everything should be normal--except that mysterious things always find her. After she saves a little boy from nearly drowning, she notices bizarre marks on his body like something tried to drag him to the water's depths. When a similar case happens soon after, Anna can't shake the feeling that it's no coincidence, especially when the victims are family members of some of the wealthiest men in town, known as the Kings of Warsaw Creek. And they have enemies, like the local bartender who just may be a witch, hexing those who cross her. But a deeper look into the case leads her to a history of drownings in town. Could it have started from an old legend? A curse? Or maybe there's a shadowy being luring victims to their doom. Anna's not convinced. But whoever--or whatever--it is behind the recent drownings, Anna will have to uncover soon, or she'll find herself underwater, slipping into the darkness once again"--

Book Synopsis

There's something in the water in Bayern County...

When mysterious drownings plague her small town, a detective haunted by her serial killer father must uncover whether revenge, ancient legends, or something darker lurks beneath the surface.

Lieutenant Anna Koray thought she'd finally found solid ground and escaped her past as the daughter of a notorious serial killer. A loving boyfriend, a loyal dog, a life that almost feels normal--except darkness has a way of seeping in. When she saves a boy from drowning, the strange marks on his body tell a disturbing story: something in the depths tried to drag him under.

Days later, another victim surfaces with identical marks and Anna's instincts scream that these are no accidents. Both victims are connected to the Kings of Warsaw Creek--men of the town's wealthiest and most influential families. And they have enemies.

Others whisper that there are witches in Bayern County, seeking revenge for a long-ago murder. Perhaps it's the work of Vivian Carson, the enigmatic bartender who's rumored to cast hexes on those who wrong her. Or maybe it's a secret coven who's been leaving serpentine symbols and skulls behind at the scenes of the drownings.

But Anna's investigation reveals an even more sinister truth: something is stirring in the water, and it wants the Kings to pay.

With time running out and more victims appearing, Anna must separate superstition from truth. But in Bayern County, where legends and curses run deep as the water itself, one wrong step could drag her into the depths--this time for good.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Sister's Curse

"Fans of Simone St. James' The Book of Cold Cases (2022) and Michael Bennett's Return to Blood (2024) will find they cannot put down this sinister mystery with supernatural undertones."
--Booklist

"The author's gifts for atmospheric scene-setting and nail-biting suspense are undiminished."
--Publishers Weekly

"Whatever the case, Solvinic keeps the reader guessing and in the process delivers a genre-bending novel sure to appeal in equal measure to suspense readers or aficionados of the occult."
--BookPage

Praise for The Hunter's Daughter

"The Hunter's Daughter is by a debut author, but 'you'd never know it from how skillfully she weaves this very dark and creepy tale, ' Searles says."
--Author John Searles on the TODAY Show

"Deliciously unpredictable and absolutely engrossing, Nicola Solvinic's The Hunter's Daughter is one of the best debuts I've read in a very long time. With a dash of magical realism and the kind of complicated, conflicted heroine I love, Solvinic pulls off a nearly impossible feat: making the reader care about a woman who may well be following in her serial killer father's footsteps. Put The Hunter's Daughter at the top of your TBR list--I loved this book!"
--Karen Dionne, bestselling author The Marsh King's Daughter

"The Hunter's Daughter is a genuinely creepy, atmospheric debut. Solvinic has crafted a propulsive story of crimes old and new, the power of memory and the darkness that dwells inside us all. You'll be turning pages all night and searching the woods for dark shadows (which just might be the Forest God....)"
--Jennifer McMahon, author of My Darling Girl

"Original and compulsively readable, The Hunter's Daughter is a pagan treasure; dark, memorable and ultimately satisfying. Vivid and fast-paced, the story draws you in from the first page and never lets go."
--Scott Hawkins, author of The Library at Mount Char

"Adept depictions of childhood trauma and the power of legacy drive this story about the daughter of a serial killer who must now investigate her father's copycat. Atmospheric, taut and haunting, The Hunter's Daughter is a thoroughly compelling read!"
--Wendy Walker, bestselling author of What Remains

"An engrossing, hallucinogenic read that vibrates with increasing tension."
--BookPage (starred review)

"This atmospheric and haunting mystery will keep the reader guessing to the very last page. A must-read for lovers of serial-killer thrillers and mysteries with a darker edge."
--Booklist

"Solvinic is remarkably assured for a first-timer, lacing the action with elegant descriptions of the rural landscape and enough valid suspects to keep the pot boiling. Readers will look forward to this promising suspense author's next outing."
--Publishers Weekly

"Solvinic delivers a terrific thriller that readers will find hard to believe is her first novel. ... A mix of Karen Dionne's The Marsh King's Daughter and Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs, this impressive novel spotlights the difficulty of escaping a troubling past. Add some supernatural elements, and the result is a tale to remember."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"The story unfolds like a dream, and Solvinic penetrates deep into her characters' tortured psyches."
--Crime Reads

"Both thoughtful and suspenseful, the novel is to surely lure readers into an enticingly dark world."
--Columbus Dispatch

"...[A] debut novel that will have you chewing your nails."
--Denton Record-Chronicle

"The Hunter's Daughter is an incredible, dark novel about overcoming one's past and seeking redemption through actions."
--FXBG Advance

"A tense psychological thriller, terse plotting, and Anna's own uncertainty about who she is, what acts she's committed, and whether she can trust her own thoughts, feelings, and actions, keeps this book a page-turner."
--New York Journal of Books

"In The Hunter's Daughter Nicola Solvinic pulls off a neat trick--getting us to sympathize with the daughter of a serial killer who might just be responsible for a series of murders that closely track her father's M.O. With a deep sense of place, and enough things to go bump in the night to keep you on the edge of your toes, I was guessing who done it until the final pages."
--Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of I'll Never Tell

"I loved this story and our fearless heroine, Anna Koray. She's my favorite kind of protagonist--complicated, daring, and determined to unearth long-buried secrets, even if her search for the truth puts everything she's built at risk. Nicola Solvinic has crafted a story equal parts horror and fairy tale, where dark forests harbor evil beings, and it is up to the reader to decide whether these creatures are monsters or men. Both disturbing and redemptive, The Hunter's Daughter is a page-turning tale of the pasts that haunt and the ties that bind us. A propulsive and captivating debut."
--Lauren Nossett, author of The Resemblance

"Mystical and entrancing, The Hunter's Daughter plunges you into the deepest, darkest woods to uncover a family's sinister secrets with the one woman brave enough to look evil in the eyes."
--Georgina Cross, author of Nanny Needed

"The Hunter's Daughter is a raw, gritty, all-consuming psychological thriller that is masterfully rendered - a unique jewel in the genre."
--Mystery and Suspense Magazine

"Subterfuge and supernatural elements infuse this dark, absorbing debut."
--firstCLUE

About the Author

Nicola Solvinic has a master's degree in criminology and has worked in and around criminal justice for more than a decade. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and cats, where she is surrounded by a secret garden full of beehives.