DEAREST

DEAREST tells the story of a new mother in need of help who opens her door to her long-estranged mother - only to invite something much darker inside - in a deliciously haunting debut about the long shadows cast by family secrets, perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix or Ashley Audrain.

Flora is a new mom, enamored of her baby girl, Iris, even if she arrived a few weeks early. With her husband still deployed, Flora navigates the newborn stage alone. But as the sleepless nights pass in the loneliness of their half-empty home, the edges of her reality begin to blur. Just as Flora becomes convinced she is losing her mind, a surprising guest shows up to help: Flora's own mother, to whom she hasn't spoken in years. Can they mend their fraught relationship? Or is there more Flora's mother isn't telling her about the events that led to their estrangement? As stranger and scarier events unfold, Flora begins to suspect the house is not as empty as she once thought. She must decide: is her hold on reality slipping dangerously away? Or is she, in fact, the only thing standing between a terrifying visitor and her baby? Jacquie Walters is an Emmy-nominated writer who has sold five pilots in the last three years. She is currently adapting Melissa De La Cruz's best-selling seven-book series BLUE BLOODS for Paramount Plus, as well as an original pilot KISMET for iTV. Jacquie recently graduated from the Novel Writing Program at Stanford University and is passionate about layered mysteries, psychological anomalies, and characters with everything to hide. Dearest is her first novel.