{"product_id":"the-clearing-9780063390744","title":"The Clearing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this gripping suspense novel from the bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy, lead forensic expert Laughton Rees is back, this time investigating a series of missing women in a small town near the Forest of Dean--where she uncovers a dark and sinister plot, decades in the making.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNever go back into the woods. Never go back and never look back...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMidsummer's Eve. Bonfires dot the English countryside and flicker in the ancient Forest of Dean as costumed revelers dance and drink the night away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when the sun rises, a local girl, Maddie Friar, has vanished, last seen heading to a party in a forest commune called \"The Clearing.\" Her sister Adele reports her missing but the local police say Maddie was a known party girl and probably ran off with some boy, or maybe the \"Cinderman\" got her, referring to a local legend of a forest spirit said to haunt the woods in search of a lost daughter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEminent criminologist and academic Dr. Laughton Rees also knows about the Cinderman. She has found dozens of historical missing persons cases in these woods, all women, all attributed to this legend. But she doesn't believe in legends; she believes in facts, so she heads to the forest and, with help from Adele, starts questioning everyone, from the mysterious Earl, lord of the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, to the charismatic leader of The Clearing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut as Laughton slowly begins to unravel the legend of the Cinderman and realizes it is bound by blood to Adele and Maddies' dark past, she also discovers too late that the truth is far uglier, and far more dangerous, than any mythical monster.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eToyne, Simon:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSimon Toyne\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of the internationally bestselling Sanctus trilogy (\u003cem\u003eSanctus\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Key, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Tower\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cem\u003eThe Searcher\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Boy Who Saw\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDark Objects\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Clearing \u003c\/em\u003eand has worked in British television for more than twenty years. As a writer, director, and producer he's made several award-winning shows, one of which won a BAFTA. He lives in England with his wife and family, where he is permanently at work on his next novel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50649566707986,"sku":"9780063390744","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2ae0ce7a-f44e-4a89-a6ab-c60245ec12e8.jpg?v=1750159527","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-clearing-9780063390744","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}