Adrift - by Will Dean (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The author of the "master class in suspense" (Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author) The Chamber returns with a high-tension thriller about a family's descent into darkness that is perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane and Lisa Jewell.

Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family's lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife's sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.

With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew's gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.

With Will Dean's signature "well-drawn characters and excellent prose" (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author), Adrift is gripping exploration of the ties that bind when everything spirals out of control.

Review Quotes

"[A] smashing novel... pressure is building, and one can feel it gathering force, aching to explode, contained for a time only by author Dean's way with language." -- "Booklist"

"Deeply moving and thoughtfully crafted, ADRIFT will consume you. Will Dean is a master at creating moody, oppressive thrillers that are equally as unsettling as they are gut-wrenching, with characters you can't stop thinking about even long after the last page. A must read."--Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of SHE'S NOT SORRY

"Haunting, heartbreaking, quietly terrifying. Unforgettable."--Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK

"Utterly tense and bone chilling, ADRIFT follows the unraveling of a family as it descends into isolation and psychological darkness. A suspenseful, atmospheric and masterly delivered story."--Wendy Walker, USA Today bestselling author of BLADE

"Steeped in a sense of impending dread, ADRIFT is an astute character study of one family's slow unravel as their houseboat floats further and further away from civilization. Will Dean has mastered the art of chronic unease; I was holding my breath the entire time."--Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of FORGET ME NOT

"Adrift is beautifully written and so full of heart and fragility, an absolute page turner. I loved it."--Liz Nugent, #1 Internationally bestselling author of STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND

"I was going to say I can't remember the last time a book has me in such a chokehold, until I could. It was The Last Thing to Burn. Heartbreaking, devastating, achingly beautiful. Simply stunning."--John Marrs, bestselling author of YOU KILLED ME FIRST

Praise for THE CHAMBER

"THE CHAMBER is a masterful claustrophobic thriller, crafted with the precision of a fine watch and the reveals executed with more depth than a North Sea oil rig. Just brilliant!"--Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of THE EXAMINER

"Dean (THE LAST ONE) shrewdly reimagines the closed-circle murder mystery in this tense and claustrophobic nail-biter set in an underwater hyperbaric chamber... Dean maintains unyielding strain on his characters, brilliantly riffing on a classic setup while flexing his gifts for style and characterization. The results are gripping." -- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands of the United Kingdom. After studying law at the London School of Economics and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a wooden house in a vast forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball's book club on ITV, shortlisted for the National Book Award (UK), The Guardian's Not the Booker prize, and was named a Telegraph book of the year. He is also the author of Adrift, The Last One, First Born, The Last Thing to Burn, which was shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and The Chamber.