In this speculative domestic thriller, a woman’s journey into a parallel world forces her to take control of her splintering life—if she can survive long enough to get back home.

Marina Clarke’s life is unraveling. When her controlling husband accepts a job transfer under suspicious circumstances, their move to a remote mining town offers him ample opportunities. But what she wants is suddenly no longer relevant. Separated from her ailing father, she finds herself isolated, jobless, and bound to a man she no longer trusts.

Her main solace lies in visits to the local swamp. With its eerie ghost trees and black orb spiders, the ethereal refuge bears the hum of preternatural secrets. But on the day of a total solar eclipse, Marina is pulled into another world.

A world where she was murdered.

Trapped in this alternate reality, Marina has to rely on her wits to discover the truth about her impossible situation. The small-town whispers. The devastating betrayals. The phenomenon connecting every thread.

To survive, Marina must follow these leads to uncover her killer—and find her way back home—before it’s too late.

Esme Lee Wilmot grew up in Port Hedland, Perth, and Kalgoorlie, amid Western Australia’s stunning coastline and iconic red-dirt outback. Although she received the English prize in high school, she went on to study chemistry and metallurgy at Curtin University, launching a career working in the Australian wilderness. In 2018, she embraced her creative side and began writing her first novel.

Esme’s favorite genres include thriller, mystery, horror, and comedy—the darker, the better. Her short fiction has been published by the Underground Writers, Spillwords Press, Short Édition, Night Parrot Press, Wild Weeds Press, Black Beacon Books, and Red Raven Books. She’s earned a KSP Fellowship and spots in several Australian writers’ programs. Her debut manuscript was short-listed for the 2024 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize.

When she isn’t reading or writing, Esme enjoys hip-hop dancing, traveling, and gathering inspiration for new stories. She lives in Perth with her husband and two children.