The Homecoming

Starred review from March 4, 2019
Surgeon Aaron Quinlan, the 36-year-old narrator of this brilliant thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from Pyper (The Demonologist), learns that his father, Raymond, a secretive workaholic who was mostly absent from Aaron’s life, has died. The next day, a car picks up Aaron and his 14-year-old sister, Bridge, and the pair are driven by “someone who won’t even look” at them to a huge wooded property, where they join their mother and their 35-year-old sister, Franny. Raymond’s attorney explains that the man’s will grants an even division of the multimillion-dollar estate on the condition that all four of them remain on the grounds for 30 days; supplies would be delivered, but the Quinlans would be without cellphones or any other means of contacting the outside world. They agree, but come to regret that decision after some terrifying encounters with a deranged man who appears bent on harming them. This figure proves to be only the first of several threats to their safety. Pyper fairly lays the groundwork for the truth behind their experiences, and readers will be invested in the thoughtfully constructed characters. Fans of Josh Malerman’s Bird Box will be pleased. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Gernert Company.