The first of two novellas set in the world of The Unquiet Bones. It can be enjoyed on its own, no prior reading needed.

For Detective Jane Munro, two mysteries generations apart converge in a haunting true-crime-inspired novel about secrets, motherhood, and murder by Loreth Anne White, the award-winning author of The Maid’s Diary.

When a woman’s skeletal remains are found sealed inside a barrel at the bottom of a long-forgotten well, cold case detective Jane Munro is tasked with solving a murder committed decades ago.

Eight months pregnant, grieving her missing fiancé, and under mounting pressure to step away from the job, Jane should be preparing for motherhood, not chasing ghosts. But the dead woman wore a locket engraved with a message of love, and someone went to great lengths to silence her.

What Jane and her team uncover is a heart-wrenching story of a mother who walked into the forest on a frigid winter’s day in 1945 and was never seen again, leaving behind a husband and two children. But why? As they close in on the truth, the case collides with a far more recent one—and a killer who may not be history.

Suddenly it becomes personal, because someone will do anything to stop Jane. And this time, her quest for truth could cost her everything.

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