Where Echoes Die

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Two sisters travel to an isolated Arizona town to investigate its connection to their mother's death, but uncover more than they bargained for in this supernatural thriller from the author of The Dead and the Dark.

Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She finds herself unable to stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, clamoring for a time when things were normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother's handwriting arrives in the mail with the words Come and find me, pointing to a town called Backravel, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.

But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona it's clear that there's something off about the town. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by the town's gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and the only people who seem to know more than they're letting on is the town's enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery.

As the sisters search for answers about their mother, Beck and Avery become more drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has buried since her mother's death. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, and when she starts losing herself in Backravel and its connection to her mother, will there be a way for Beck to pull herself out?

In Where Echoes Die, Courtney Gould draws readers into the haunting town of Backravel and explores grief, the weight of not letting go of the past, first love, and the bonds between sisters, mothers and daughters.

"Two sisters head to the desert to find the truth behind their mother's death in this moody, atmospheric detective story." LitHub

"A dazzling desert fever dream. With a winning cast of characters and a voice that's by turns eerie and gentle, Courtney Gould spins a stunning whirlwind journey through time, grief, and love. Readers will find their way to Backravel, Arizona over and over again." Rebecca Mahoney, author of The Valley and the Flood

"An intoxicating, dream-like mystery, as hazy as the desert heat, and a poignant story about the transformative power of trauma and grief. Where Echoes Die is a bleakly beautiful book that will unnerve and enchant you in equal measure--a stunning achievement." Ava Reid, bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman

"Eerie, tender, and inventive, Where Echoes Die is a triumph. With atmosphere as stark and ruthless as the Arizona heat and a masterfully unspooling mystery, Gould crafts a tale about survival and moving on that had me completely arrested." Allison Saft, NYT bestselling author of Down Comes the Night

Courtney Gould writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. She was born and raised in Salem, OR, where she continues to write love letters to the haunted girls and rural, empty spaces. She is the author of The Dead and the Dark and Where Echoes Die.