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ComingSoon is debuting an exclusive first-look excerpt from Seven for a Secret, Disney-Hyperion’s upcoming YA enigma thriller caller from Mary E. Roach.
Seven for a Secret comes from fan-favorite writer Mary E. Roach and follows nan communicative of nan mysterious disappearance of 8 girls from Sister’s Place, a group location successful Avan Island, Maryland.
“Nev is nan woman who returned. The woman who survived. She’s done her champion to time off what happened successful nan wood connected Avan Island down her, but now, 5 years later, nan men successful complaint of Sister’s Place, nan men who brushed nan missing girls disconnected arsenic ‘runaways,’ are turning up dead. And Nev realizes that confronting nan municipality that was each excessively happy to hide her whitethorn beryllium her only chance to get answers astir what happened to her sisters,” says nan charismatic description.
“As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan’s secrets—and arsenic much bodies heap up—she must unravel nan mysteries locked successful her ain mind arsenic she hunts down a slayer who is consenting to do thing to make judge nan past stays buried. Lost sisters, female rage, and nan determination to past thrust Nev connected her propulsive travel to find answers and peace—and possibly revenge.”
Roach is simply a erstwhile early puerility coach who now writes crossed genres and property categories, astir precocious thrillers for nan young big assemblage and romances for nan big audience. Her debut YA mystery, Better Left Buried, is retired now.
Seven for a Secret will beryllium available for sale starting September 30, 2025. Check retired an exclusive excerpt from nan book below:
Roan stares astatine maine pinch a substance of interest and—something else, thing I can’t read. She nods astatine nan different reporter, a man wearing a Johnstown Tribune press badge, and he steps back, giving america immoderate space. She picks her telephone up again, brushing particulate from nan surface protector, earlier she hangs up pinch whoever she was talking to.
“Nev.”
“I came to salary my respects,” I add, erstwhile she doesn’t opportunity thing much than that. Just my name.
Roan releases a soft sigh, thing weary, arsenic if she is utilized to this from me, moreover aft 5 years of not knowing nan personification I became. “Are you okay?”
“Great.”
We look astatine each different for a agelong moment.
“They’re sending maine to Avan Island,” Roan says aft a agelong beat.
“I . . . I constitute stories for illustration this 1 now. For a newspaper. I’m, uh, a journalist?”
This isn’t news to me, of course. I watched her postgraduate assemblage connected Instagram and station nan few-and-far-between pictures of herself, those haunting acheronian eyes staring backmost astatine me, ne'er rather smiling, successful each image of her.
“Stories for illustration this one,” I repeat. “A dormant man is worthy a story?”
Roan shifts slightly. “My leader saw nan news and assigned maine this story. But I suggested location mightiness beryllium much to explore—a connection. Because Charles was nan 1 who investigated—five years ago. Everything that happened.”
She doesn’t opportunity runaways.
Even now, moreover aft cipher listened to america 5 years ago, Roan doesn’t telephone america runaways.
“Why?” I blurt. It’s not that I don’t deliberation Roan’s a bully journalist; of people she is. But she has to beryllium nan astir inferior reporter, moreover successful her mini independent company, unless—
“Avan only speaks to its own,” Roan says. “You cognize that. Johnstown Tribune is sending someone, but they don’t person anyone connected unit from Avan, truthful nan newsman they’re sending—Merrick, he’s a friend of mine—asked if we tin do immoderate collaboration connected this story.”
I stiffen. “Is he going to excavation into what happened 5 years ago, too?” I ask.
Roan shakes her head. “No, he’s going because he—and his boss— thinks there’s thing to this. But, Nev, why now? Why are you really here?”
“I wanted to understand,” I reply finally. I don’t cognize really to explicate much than that—how to opportunity nan words churning successful my gut.
The names. The girls. The loss.
The boy who started each of it.
“I wanted to spot Chuck.”
“Nev, you don’t request . . . you don’t request to spot nan body. You can’t beryllium serious.”
“Dead serious,” I show her. “Dead arsenic bully ol’ Chuck.”
“And did they fto you spell down there? To see him?” She shakes her caput pinch disbelief. “They wouldn’t moreover fto me, and I’m a full adult.”
She’s not that overmuch of an adult, though, astatine only twenty-two, fresh- faced capable that she must still get carded anyplace she goes, moreover if I can spot nan weary look down her eyes.
“You’re press,” I say. “I conscionable told them I wanted to opportunity goodbye to a friend.”
Roan sighs. “Nev, I don’t cognize what you’re playing at, but you request to spell backmost home, okay? You’ve seen enough. You’re not portion of this.”
You’re not portion of this.
But I am. I am. I am.
I want to tear astatine my hair, but it is excessively short now, excessively short to beryllium grabbed and dragged, excessively short for maine to person thing to tear astatine now.
I americium a portion of this.
So was nan man connected nan table.
“Chuck,” I say, conscionable arsenic Dr. Goodwin pushes unfastened nan beforehand doorway and exits, still successful his laboratory coat. “Chuck was portion of this.”
“Roan.” Dr. Goodwin nods to her. “What are you doing hanging astir this case? I would person thought you’d had your capable of Avan Island, aft each those runaways.”
How galore times tin he opportunity runaway in a azygous morning?
I move distant from him. “Chuck,” I repeat.
“Excuse me?” Roan says finally, weariness dense successful her voice. “That was his name,” I say. “Chuck.”
“Charles,” Dr. Goodwin corrects. “Charles Aisley.”
No.
Charles Aisley was nan only detective successful town, served connected nan committee of nan Hunting and Fishing League and on nan committee of nan group home. Charles Aisley was an elder successful nan church, too. The church, because it was nan benignant of mini municipality that only had one.
The memories travel and spell without a shred of context. I person his face, aliases what it looked for illustration earlier it was purpled and bloated by nan river, his voice, a vivid flash of him sitting astatine nan array pinch nan different committee members connected Avan Island. The remainder of nan memories are disconnected from each other, floating successful and out. Charles Aisley was only 1 of galore faces successful nan dark.
But now he is not Charles Aisley.
Now he is Chuck, a corpse connected a table, a mobility mark, a body, an object, a nothing.
