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A Novel
by Erin E. Adams
Liz Rocher is coming home...reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn't exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the couple's daughter, Caroline, disappears - and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.
It's watching.
It's taking.
As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She's seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz's high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can't be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town's history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.
It's your turn.
With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.
"[A]n unforgettable gut punch of a horror thriller...This novel is a masterful and emotionally wrenching gem of Black storytelling." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The tale's crime and supernatural elements don't quite mesh, but plentiful twists, keenly rendered characters, and atmospheric prose keep the pages turning. Harrowing horror with a side of searing social commentary." - Kirkus Reviews
"The examination of racism in a small town, along with the horror elements, make Adams's debut chilling and memorable. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Jordan Peele will enjoy the fast-paced storytelling, compelling characters, and spine-tingling conclusion." - Library Journal
"A heady, page-turning, all-too-relevant reinvention of the return-to-home horror story that explores supernatural and cultural horrors, Jackal is truly gut-wrenching and frightening. Erin E. Adams bares her teeth right back at the monster." - Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club
"Real horror surrounds us in plain sight, nestled in the hearts of fiends who hide behind the barest of masks. Erin E. Adams takes you on a breathless ride with Jackal, revealing the courage it takes to stand up to monsters." - Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor and The Hunger
"A thrilling blend of detective story, turn-all-the-lights-on-in-your-house-while-reading horror, and social commentary about how often women of color, especially Black women, go missing and get little attention...It's an impressive and thoughtful debut." - Megan Giddings, author of The Women Could Fly
This information about Jackal was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Erin E. Adams is a first-generation Haitian American writer and theatre artist. She received her BA with honors in literary arts from Brown University, her MFA in acting from The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, and her MFA in dramatic writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. An award-winning playwright and actor, Adams has called New York City home for the last decade. Jackal is her first novel.
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