While the Forest Burns - by Xan Kaur (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

New York Times-bestselling author Xan Kaur's eerie paranormal mystery follows two teens stationed in isolated fire lookout towers who investigate disappearances and uncover a conspiracy that connects them in ways far more dangerous--and intimate--than they ever expected.

Secrets lay buried in the pines.

"You deserve to know the truth of things," are the final, cryptic words Archie Bajwa's beloved neighbor Jean says before she dies--and after two mysterious men in black appear at Jean's door. Grieving and desperate to uncover secrets about Jean's past, Archie takes a fire lookout job in a remote Florida forest, the same place where her own father went missing years ago. While looking for the truth, she finds something far more dangerous.

Miles away, Cameron Clarke is burying his father, a man forever changed by the horrors of war. But when government agents arrive demanding his father's body for "research," Cameron knows something is terribly wrong. Fleeing his grief and searching for answers, he too disappears into the wilderness of Eden National Forest.

As strange reports surface--a missing hiker, eerie lights moving through the blackwater swamp, radios warped by unexplained interference--Archie and Cameron discover each other through distant radio signals, bound by a connection too powerful to be chance. As they begin to uncover a long-buried government experiment hidden beneath the pines, they'll face a choice that could cost one of them everything.

Review Quotes

Praise for When Devils Sing:

An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller
A New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and BCCB Best Book of 2025
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror Novel

"A true blood-soaked Southern Gothic for the modern age." --Andrew Joseph White, New York Times-bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bears its Teeth

"Masterfully weaves small-town mystery with an unrelenting sense of dread, all while delivering a story that's as thought-provoking as it is chilling." --Nick Brooks, Odyssey Award-winning author of Promise Boys

"Atmospheric and tense." --Kirkus Reviews

"Brilliantly executed." --BCCB

"Immersive and atmospheric." --Publishers Weekly

"Kaur's debut offers nuance to the Deep South, acknowledging the politics, religious fervor, and racial tensions often attributed to Southerners with depth and care." --Booklist

About the Author