What Remains of Her - by Eric Rickstad (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Girls comes this chilling, harrowing thriller set in rural Vermont about a recluse who believes the young girl he's found in the woods is the reincarnation of his missing daughter, returned to help him solve her and his wife's disappearance.

I won't say a word. Cross my heart and hope to die...

Jonah Baum, a professor of poetry at a local college in Vermont, sees his ordinary life come tumbling down when his wife and young daughter vanish from their home. No evidence of a kidnapping. No sign of murder. No proof that Rebecca didn't simply abandon her marriage. Just Sally's crude and chilling drawings, Jonah's little lies, and the sheriff's nagging fears that nothing is what it seems.

For Sally's best friend, Lucinda, it's something else. She trusts in Sally not to just disappear, not after they've shared so many secrets--especially about the woods and what they saw there. But she'll never tell. No one would believe her anyway.

As the search for Rebecca and Sally intensifies, and as suspicion falls on Jonah, the disappearances become more relentlessly haunting than anyone can imagine. Because what's seen in the light of day is not nearly as terrifying as what remains hidden in the dark...

From the Back Cover

I won't say a word. Cross my heart and hope to die. . . .

Jonah Baum, a professor of poetry at a remote Vermont college, sees his ordinary life torn apart when his wife, Rebecca, and young daughter, Sally, vanish from their home. No evidence of a kidnapping. No sign of murder. No proof Rebecca abandoned her marriage. Just Sally's chilling drawings, Jonah's little lies, and a sheriff's nagging fears that nothing is what it seems.

Even Sally's best friend, Lucinda, knows Sally wouldn't just disappear, not after they've shared so many secrets--especially about what they saw in the woods, a secret Lucinda swore she'd keep.

As the search for Rebecca and Sally intensifies, suspicion drives Jonah into seclusion. Now, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their disappearance, Jonah finds a girl in the woods and grows convinced she's linked to Sally. Is she a coincidence? Is she even real, or just a manifestation of Jonah's desperation and grief? Or is something more sinister at play in the dark woods?

Review Quotes

"A gorgeous thrill ride of a novel. Eric Rickstad's What Remains of Her is a literary page-turner that delves into the sacred and sometimes fraught relationships between fathers and daughters. In Rickstad's hands, what will remain with you is the satisfaction of a story masterfully told." - Lisa Alber, award-winning author of Path Into Darkness
"What Remains of Her is a brilliantly creepy page-turner. A gripping, unsettling thriller electrified by Rickstad's rich and haunting prose." - Laura McHugh, award-winning author of The Weight of Blood
"Rickstad's best novel yet. With shrewd and crafty skill he spins one taut and chilling psychological ride." - J. D. Barker, internationally bestselling author of The Fifth to Die
"Dark, claustrophobic, and hypnotic, a classy thriller that will make you sleep with the lights on, if you sleep at all." - Mark Edwards, #1 bestselling author of Follow You Home
"Eric Rickstad has handed us a diamond of a thriller in The Names of Dead Girls." - Mark Pryor, author of The Paris Librarian
"The past wraps around the present like a vine in Eric Rickstad's dark, twisting novel. Atmospheric, moving, and deep, What Remains of Her is as much a complex, beautifully wrought meditation on love and family, as it is a relentless mystery that will keep you riveted page after haunting page." - Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter
"What Remains of Her is chilling and heartbreaking at the same time. A twisty, diabolical read." - Peter Swanson, author of All the Beautiful Lies
"A tour de force of unstoppable suspense drives readers deep into Rickstad's dark and haunting world. An out-and-out bone chiller. Impossible to put down." - Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A complex and emotional thriller--Rickstad blurs the lines of good and evil as a detective's desperate need to protect his daughter from a depraved killer, and his hunger for justice, distorts his obligation to the law." - Wendy Walker, bestselling author of Emma in the Night and All is Not Forgotten
"Eric Rickstad is the rare writer who can wrap a dark, gritty story in smooth, poetic prose. If you haven't discovered his work yet, The Names of Dead Girls is the place to start. It's a taut, masterful thriller and a terrific read." - Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Ex
Praise for The Names of Dead Girls: "Beautifully written with original language and imagery, The Names of Dead Girls is a chilling page-turner. The superb cast of characters rings so very true, from the conflicted mom police detective to the troubled Rachel Rath to the anthropomorphic, wet fog. Atmospheric, empathetic, and addictive." - James Ziskin, Edgar-nominated author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries