Dark Waters

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces and Dead Voices.

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian’s family’s inn and a boom sounds at the door, there’s just one visitor it could be. Only, there’s no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as –S.

The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is under way. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it’s said Vermont’s very own Loch Ness monster lives. Brian is thrilled. He hasn’t sailed since visiting his family in Jamaica and even the looming threat of the smiling man can’t put a damper on what is guaranteed to finally be a day of
fun–even if it is awkward being stuck on a boat with both his old best friend, Phil and his new best friends, Coco and Ollie. But when a misstep from Phil causes a tragedy onboard and leaves them shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian’s survival instincts kick in and it’s up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.

One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.

Review

Praise for Dark Waters:

An Amazon Best Book – August 2021

“Arden
skillfully
blends a creature feature with a survival tale, taking the series into new territory without deviating from its successful formula. The deliberate pacing maintains
a palpable sense of dread, equally anxiety-inducing and terrifying. . . Another
deliciously hair-raising entry in a series that continues to make a huge splash.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“Describing the
creepy setting where all the action takes place with
cinematic detail, Arden
piles on the terror, weaving in Lake Champlain history and pirate lore.” —
Buffalo News

“The ending definitely
ramped up the stakes once more and I’m now anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this
dark, creepy
middle-grade series. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, now is the perfect time to do so, if only to suffer with us all through the wait for the final book.” —
The Nerd Daily

About the Author

Katherine Arden is the
New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces quartet. In addition to writing novels, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables, and running wild through the woods with her dog. She lives in Vermont.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The lights flickered.
Brian’s head jerked up from the book. Ollie and Coco looked around too, warily. The lights flickered again.
“Must be the storm—­” Coco began.
And then the lights went out.
Right at that same moment, someone knocked—­boom, boom, boom—­on the door.
The three of them froze. They knew better than to scream. They stared at the door. The only light came from the fire. It threw their shadows big and strange on the walls.
Boom. This time the knock shot them to their feet and close together. Coco tripped over her pile of books; Ollie caught her, and they stood in the middle of the room, hands gripping tight.
“I didn’t see anyone outside!” Brian breathed. “I didn’t see a car . . .”
“There wasn’t a car,” whispered Ollie. “We’d have seen the lights.”
“Maybe it drove up with the lights off?” whispered Coco.
Ollie glanced down at her wrist. She was wearing a watch. But it wasn’t an ordinary watch. It had belonged to her mother, who was dead. Its screen was cracked; it didn’t tell time. But sometimes it gave Ollie advice.
Like now.
It was glowing faintly blue, and a single word jumped on the screen in faint, flickering letters.
Hush, it said.
All three of them went still. Brian felt sweat start on his forehe