A missing child. A haunted cop. An ancient predator.
October, 1995. A small town in coastal Nova Scotia.
Six Indigenous children have vanished from the nearby Snake River First Nation reserve. No witnesses. No bodies. Just fear… and silence.
RCMP Corporal Rob Malone has seen darkness before: in criminals, and in himself. Now, on stress leave, he’s drowning in addiction and regret. But when the body of a young boy is discovered in the wilderness of coastal Nova Scotia, he sees a chance at redemption.
Globe and Mail reporter Alex Carson is also in town. She’s investigating the local clam fishing company and its wealthy CEO, a man with plans to build a spa resort on Indigenous land.
When their paths collide in a smoky pool hall one night, they begin to unravel what happened to the children of Snake River, and who is behind it all.
Locals whisper of the wendigo—an ancient forest spirit that feeds on death. But monsters can wear many faces, and what they uncover is more horrifying than anything they could imagine.
What readers are saying...
★★★★★
“I really enjoyed Snake River. Riddell’s signature writing style brought the tension and mystery to life. I can’t recommend this book enough and am on tenterhooks for the sequel!”
-Amazon Reviewer
★★★★★
“This was such a strong start to the Canadian Noir series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the supernatural element that worked in this universe. It had a tension that I was looking for and worked well in this type of book. The characters worked well in this universe and was engaged from start to finish in this, I loved that there was a feel that is supernatural or not and worked overall as a crime thriller. C. R. Riddell has a strong writing style and enjoyed this journey and am excited for more in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.”
-Kathryn McLeer, BookSirens
★★★★★
“Chris, congrats on your debut novel! I sincerely hope that this book picks up. I found it intriguing and hard to put down. As a Twin Peaks and X-Files fan, I especially enjoyed this one.”
-Amazon Reviewer
★★★★
“The pace was slow, but not unbearably so. The action picked up in the last 20-30 pages and that was ride, but overall it wasn’t nerve racking.
Love some native lore, and I love love love the Wendigo legends, so always good to hear fresh takes on the creature. I was not sure if I was expecting the creature to be real or kept more in the spirit form that was mentioned, but I like the mix of both that ended up happening.”-Ellie, BookSirens