Warning Signs - by Tracy Sierra (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

You can look for danger. And danger can look for you.

"Nerve-shredding. . . . What could have been a pure tale of icy survival is enhanced by [Sierra's] thoughtfulness." --The New York Times

The heart-stopping second novel from the author of Nightwatching, in which a father-son ski weekend becomes a desperate fight for survival

Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. Schooled in outdoor survival by his mother, Zach is eager to prove himself to the hypercritical Bram. Maybe if Zach shows how useful he is, he can earn his father's love.

But Zach knows to be on high alert around Bram, and he sees the way the group ignores the increasingly threatening conditions. For the first time in his beloved mountains, he is faced with the unknown, convinced that something watches their cabin from the treeline. Something that leaves behind strange tracks and picks its prey clean.

As the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized. Could the men around him prove more violent than the unforgiving weather, and the strange creature lurking in the dark? Zach will have to rely on his wits if he hopes to make it home safely. But he knows all too well that the wilderness can be unpredictable even at the best of times. And at the worst? Deadly.

Review Quotes

Praise for Warning Signs

"Nerve-shredding. . . . What could have been a pure tale of icy survival is enhanced by [Sierra's] thoughtfulness."
--The New York Times

"If you loved Nightwatching (didn't we all?) then you are in for a treat with [Warning Signs]. The tension, the atmosphere, the dread, all there in spades. This is a book that sticks in your head long after the last page."
--Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let Him In

"In Warning Signs, Sierra has set up an even more suspenseful tale centered on fathers, sons and the toxic masculinity that surrounds them. Warning Signs promises to be even more of a nail-biter than Sierra's debut, a deepening of her examination of families in extremis, which should earn it a top spot in readers' TBR list."
--The Los Angeles Times

"The visual terrain of Tracy Sierra's adventure novel is so vivid that it's easy to picture it on a big screen. . . Entertaining."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Tracy Sierra combines the forces of nature with the evil that men do to write an extraordinary double-whammy of a novel."
--Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of Whistle

"Wow. . . What a novel! Warning Signs ticks every box for attention-commanding thriller: The plot is unstoppable, the characters rich and complex--with breathtaking psychological insights aplenty--and the author's voice is pitch perfect. And talk about a setting! Buy it, lock your doors and shut off your cell phone. Don't worry, you won't be incommunicado for very long. Bravo!"
--Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of the Colter Shaw Tracker novels

"Warning Signs is an atmospheric, pulse-pounding journey into the wilderness as well as into the human heart. The perfect, wintry thriller!"
--Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

"A chilling gothic thriller. Set in an eerie, icy landscape, Warning Signs proves that Tracy Sierra is a master of edge-of-your-seat suspense."
--Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy

"[Warning Signs] is both enthralling and thought-provoking, liable to keep the reader up all night for a single-sitting read or to inspire nightmares. . . With its triple-punch of terrors natural, human, and unknown, Sierra's sophomore novel is truly and profoundly frightening. . . Discomfiting, chilling, and unforgettable."
--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"The story snowballs, resulting in an adrenaline-fueled sprint during which machismo trumps reason and amplifies danger at every turn. A pulse-pounding, heart-rending thrill ride."
--Kirkus

"The tension never stops in Sierra's latest novel. . . Sierra's writing is as crisp as an icy snowfield--and equally full of slippery, treacherous slopes, allowing details to build to a wild crescendo. . . Readers will stay on edge until the last page is turned. Warning Signs is a gripping thriller filled with high-altitude surprises."
--BookPage

"Sierra's vivid setting, well-shaded characters, and knack for suspense keep the pages turning. . . This is an icy delight."
--Publishers Weekly

"Sierra's taut thriller provides a good blend of wild and human threats, and Zach is a believably capable protagonist to guide this deadly outing."
--Library Journal

"As breathtaking as an avalanche, Tracy Sierra's Warning Signs is a perfect mix of inner torment, warped masculinity, evil suspense, and the sublime. It kept me up reading late into the night."
--Sierra Greer, award-winning author of Annie Bot

"Warning Signs continues Tracy Sierra's trajectory as a rising star. A chilling story with emotional depth and an ending that will take your breath away. Fair warning to readers: once you start reading, you won't want to stop."
--Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend

'"Wow, Tracy Sierra has done it again -- knife-edge tension and a perfect denouement. Absolutely outstanding"
--Andrea Mara, international bestselling author of Someone in the Attic

"Warning Signs is a riveting survival thriller about a boy fighting for his life on all fronts, set in the stark, dangerous wildness of the Colorado backcountry. Sierra's ability to seamlessly fuse a constant thrum of unseen, impending doom, with an aching tenderness that will break your heart is unparalleled. Sly, resplendent, and brilliantly fierce--what a gift it is to have Sierra's singular talent in the world."
--Ashley Tate, internationally bestselling author of Twenty-Seven Minutes

"Warning Signs is a truly unputdownable novel. Full of suspense and beautifully written, the book explores themes of wilderness, violence, and family ties with unusual subtlety. An enthralling book in every way."
--Bruce Holsinger, bestselling author of Culpability

"A taut survival thriller with heart, Warning Signs is an incisive exploration of mother-son relationships, the examples we set for our sons, and greed--all wrapped up in a terrifying, high-altitude adventure novel. Sierra cranks the tension up, up, up before launching us into a pulse-pounding life-or-death chase. I inhaled this book in one sitting."
--K.T. Nguyen, award-winning author of You Know What You Did

"In Warning Signs, the raw force of nature and the darkness of humanity collide in a harrowing tale of a boy's struggle for survival. Sierra's sharp, evocative writing builds a tension so taut that it had me holding my breath. A brilliant follow-up to her incredible debut!"
--Monika Kim, award-winning author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

"Fans of Tracy Sierra's riveting debut, Nightwatching, will be equally enthralled with Warning Signs, another expertly crafted, life-or-death thriller about fighting for survival, this time against mother nature and the sins of the father."
--Vanessa Lillie, bestselling author of The Bone Thief

"An isolated setting and a pulse-pounding fight for survival combine to make Warning Signs a truly stunning novel."
--Sian Gilbert, author of I Did Warn Her

"Warning Signs is the best thriller I have read in a long, long time. It is atmospheric, full of heart and so nail-bitingly suspenseful that it had me at the edge of my seat from page one. I devoured it as fast as I could."
--Hildur Knútsdóttir, author of The Night Guest

"Oh my heart! Nobody does tension and terror like Tracy Sierra. A masterclass in group dynamics and atmospheric writing, with a young protagonist whose every step you will cheer in this fight for survival."
--Holly Seddon, international bestselling author of 59 Minutes

"The mountains have a way of showing our true nature. In Warning Signs, Tracy Sierra expertly exposes the layers of a relationship between a father and son. While leading a reader across the line between wonder and terror, she asks the most important question--what should we fear? Gripping, tense, and full of beauty, this novel will make your heart pound."
--Claire Cameron, bestselling author of How to Survive a Bear Attack

Praise for Nightwatching:

"Phenomenal. . . thrilling."
--Jimmy Fallon

"[Nightwatching] guarantees you will stay up, as I did, way past bedtime, tearing through pages to find out what happens, or you'll be too petrified to sleep, or maybe both."
--Mary Louise Kelly, NPR

"Horror meets thriller in this pulse-pounding locked-room suspense, playing off the dread (and claustrophobia) of being trapped in your home with an intruder. . . Sierra manages to integrate complex ideas about perception, trauma, guilt, and women's autonomy...without once loosening her grip on the reader's nerves."
--Elle

"How many of us have had the experience of hearing an old house creak in the night and wondering if it was something more? That uneasiness becomes terror in Sierra's riveting debut. . . . What happens next falls between horror and suspense, landing with almost unbearable intensity. . . Nightwatching [is] among the best debuts I've read in years."
--LA Times

"[Nightwatching] truly terrified me. . . this was literally catnip for my intrusive thoughts. My heart never stopped racing."
--USA Today

"The reader is thrust into a scenario of unadulterated fear in Tracy Sierra's stellar debut. . . To describe this novel as nightmarish contrasts with the vividness of this night, as Sierra escorts the reader beyond metaphor: Is it a nightmare if it's real? Nightwatching is a terrifying cat-and-mouse thriller in which the creak on the stairs is an overture to a fight for survival."
--Washington Post

"Nightwatching is one of those reads I devour: a thrilling mystery with an actual message and larger societal commentary contained within. . . Sierra's plot is propulsive and is literally heart-pounding. . . Along the way, she raises important questions about who gets to be a victim and how hard it is for women to be believed. It will enrage you, it will scare you, and it will definitely make you want to discuss it."
--Glamour

"Nightwatching grows in stature and becomes not just a nerve-shredding page-turner but also an ingenious guessing game and an absorbing account of a woman's struggle to make her voice heard."
--Minneapolis StarTribune

"Outstanding. . . As grippingly suspenseful as the plot is, Sierra's first outing boasts other strengths just as noteworthy, from its transportingly eerie setting to its indelible main character, a petite, prototypical 'good girl' pushed to the brink by years of being underestimated, patronized, and disbelieved by men with power. The icing on the cake is the splendid ending, which feels both surprising and inevitable."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Straddling the line between psychological thriller and domestic horror, Sierra's auspicious debut immediately plunges readers headlong into its unnamed protagonist's waking nightmare. . . tense, emotionally resonant . . . Well-timed flashbacks add context and poignancy. Fiercely feminist and viscerally terrifying."
--Kirkus (starred review)

"Nightwatching is like nothing I've read before. I wolfed it down in two sittings; it's amazing."
--Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of None of This is True

"Nightmarish--you won't be able to look away."
--Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

"If Stephen King and Dean Koontz co-wrote a thriller, the result would be a lot like Nightwatching. Eerily atmospheric, pulse-pounding and unputdownable, this book will keep you up at night."
--Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Tonight

"Very few books are as sharp, clever, and utterly terrifying as Nightwatching. Read at your own risk."
--Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

"I loved Nightwatching. It is the most gripping thriller I have ever read."
--Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

"I am trying to think of a book that has grabbed me by the throat more quickly. None comes to mind."
--Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of The Lie Maker

"The most gripping psychological thriller I've ever read. Heart-thumping and mesmerizing, a masterclass in tension and terror, it's also a creative, thoughtful portrait of maternal fear and love--a must read."
--Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

"Nightwatching is an intense and claustrophobic thriller--it's terrifying and unputdownable."
--Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of After That Night

"Few novels have affected me like this one. Nightwatching is acutely frightening and beautifully written, as tender as it is terrifying. I can't remember rooting for a character quite so hard!"
--Abigail Dean, New York Times bestselling author of Girl A

About the Author

Tracy Sierra was born and raised in the Colorado mountains. She is an attorney who currently lives in New England in a colonial-era home. When not writing, she spends time with her husband and two children. Nightwatching, her debut novel, was selected as a Fallon Book Club pick. Warning Signs is her second novel.