Boney Creek by Paula Gleeson

Tom and Addie lived a good like in the city. Good jobs, recently wed, considering children. While they slept, they were victims of a break-in and assault. The physical and emotional effects were so severe that they decided to up and leave their city life for the safety of a backwater town far in the country. Boney Creek.

They purchase a little general store/post office and set up a new life. Boney Creek, like many small towns, were wary of outsiders. Tom tries to get the store, homestead, and the basics of a life reborn. Addie had an entry job at a big city newspaper and yearned to become an investigative reporter. Someone with her curiosity and general nosiness might not be well received.

She wasn’t. Stuck her nose into too many people’s business.

Even for a small town, seven unexplained deaths seem unusual. Not to mention that Boney Creek has a history based on a series of killings decades ago. Rumor was it was a serial killer. Or a drifter on a spree. But no one was ever caught, and the town suffered a slow demise as a result. Addie wonders if history is repeating itself. Or is there a copycat. Can't just be coincidence.

Addie is sure the town needs to know the truth so it can heal. Many locals, however, think just let bygones be bygones. She digs deeper, championing herself as some nose to the grindstone reporter who’s sniffed out a major story and the accompanying glory. All she does is offend most of the town.

Then she learns that Boney Creek wasn’t just picked at random. Tom had a reason for steering Addie to move when they decided to leave the city.

This was kind of interesting. Normally the hell-bent reporter has lots of street cred and contacts in law enforcement and sometimes the underworld. Not Addie. Her only experience was in writing fluff pieces and never got her shot anywhere close to the big time. Gleeson lets us peek over Addie’s shoulder while she trips up (repeatedly) in her obsession to score the ‘big story’.

Give this one shot. As a story about the press, it’s nowhere near the level of the likes of RG Belsky. But it’s still worth a shot. Well presented. Believable characters. Cleverly  plotted.

Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Available June 3, 2025