Synopsis:
They say no one leaves Clearwater Falls, maybe they’re right.
In the autumn of 1997, a teenage pariah is found mutilated in the waters surrounding a quiet island town. With the sheriff’s department baffled, the boy’s mother missing and the town kept unaware of the looming threat, Deputy Isaac Stone is thrust into the forefront of the investigation.
Haunted by his own grievous mistakes, he is determined to bring the killer to justice. With the aid of paranormal researcher Caitlin Dell, Isaac fights to uncover the truth that birthed a monster. Together, the deputy and the outsider must not only catch a killer…but survive the maelstrom still swirling at the heart of Clearwater Falls.
Review:
So, this is a departure from my usual fare because WJ Long III tempted me with an ARC copy. Now some of you may never have heard of this indie author, and that is a travesty. His criminally underrated Children of the Black science fiction novel was a finalist in SPSFC and the follow-up, The Hound of Greyvor, lays barely read when it should be on every sci-fi fan’s shelf. Anything written by Long has to be on my must-read list.
Go read them.
And then he hit me with a paranormal thriller. Part ghost story, part police investigation, part mystery, I didn’t know what I was in for. Well, Long doesn’t disappoint.
I’m going to add a spoiler – so if you don’t like to know anything about a book before you read it, jump to the next paragraph.
Clearwater Falls has ghosts. Lots of them. And everyone there knows.
That done with, I can move on.
What the author has crafted is a multi-layered tale with the main thread an investigation into a child’s murder. This picks away at the secrets hidden within the island cluster, both unspoken and those in plain sight, as well as delving into its history and that of its residents. It is rich, diverse, and creepy, and the story stealthily sneaks up and taps you on the shoulder towards the end and asks: ‘Did you not see?’
The book is written in a multi-POV style, and you get insights mainly through Deputy Isaac Stone, an interesting, guilt-ridden but determined figure who is as layered as the story. Alongside him is Caitlin Dell, an investigator as flawed as Isaac. But these are lives that have been led, not thrown in for convenience, and they are stronger for it. Despite the premise, this town feels real, and you are swept along as the tension and body count rise to a conclusion that the book deserves.
Is it perfect? There are a few occassions when the descriptions can you take you out of the moment. But these are rare, and the story sweeps you on by.
Long deserves a place on your shelf for his science fiction. And he has sculpted a paranormal thriller that deserves to stand beside them. Superb.
Releases 10th February 2026
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