In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.

Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.

Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island's previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.

Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.

Published
August 4, 2026
Where to find this book
External links open a book search at the selected retailer. Availability may vary.
Risingshadow

Rating distribution

How reader ratings are distributed across the 1–10 scale.

100
90
80
71
60
50
40
30
20
10
Risingshadow

What did you think of this book?

Share your experience with other Risingshadow readers.

Risingshadow

Reader reviews

1 review

What Risingshadow readers think about this book

7/10

I liked the story.  I really liked the back and forth between past and present.  This was my first Sager novel and to be honest, I read it because I needed a gothy book for the Goodreads reading challenge.  I typically don’t enjoy this type of novel so my rating is higher than I would have thought it would be.  I was pleasantly surprised and will consider reading more of his novels.  But, if you like gothy books, I think you will really enjoy this book.

Risingshadow

Readers Also Enjoyed