A psychological thriller executed to perfection with darkly nuanced textures, rich characterization and an instantly-arresting voice combined with the sort of wonderfully twisty commercial plotting that so energized The Silent Patient and The Woman in the Window.

THE SHADOWS
by Stacy Willingham
Macmillan, February 2022

THE SHADOWS is the story of Chloe Davis, a psychologist coming up on the 20th anniversary of the event that destroyed her family: the day when, as a 12 year old, she found a critical piece of evidence that proved her father was a serial killer, and which would lead to his being convicted for the murders of six teenage girls. And while the freight of those events has followed her like a shadow ever since, it’s also the thing she has spent her entire adult life fighting and overcoming. Now 32, Chloe seems to have won. She has built a thriving practice as a psychologist in Baton Rouge, (using her own childhood trauma to help other young, troubled girls), fostered a rich community of friends, has even managed to work through her trust issues, and is engaged to be married to a loving and supportive partner. But behind those hopeful outlines of a normal, happy life lurk paranoia, unhealthy choices, and the steady ticking of dread that, at any moment, Chloe’s carefully-constructed equilibrium might come crashing down around her… And on the eve of that 20th anniversary, it does…

Stacy Willingham is 29. She studied journalism at the University of Georgia and holds an MFA from the Savannah College of Art & Design.