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Shimmer
In the deep woods of Appalachia, something waits in the spaces between the trees.
Kyle and Macy Connors disappeared on a bright summer morning, walking into the forest behind their home in Laurel Gap, TN The search lasted two weeks. Bloodhounds lost the scent. Volunteers found nothing. The woods gave back only silence. Seventy-two days later, the children walked out on their own.
They were filthy. Clothes torn to rags, skin covered in scratches and bruises, dirt ground so deep it seemed part of them. But no real injuries. Nothing broken, nothing infected, nothing to explain how two kids survived over two months in the wilderness. The doctors ran every test. Physically, they were fine. Miraculous, they said. A blessing. But blessings don't stare through their own parents with empty eyes.
Kyle and Macy sit at the kitchen table like hollow puppets. They answer questions in flat, emotionless voices. They claim no memory of the missing months. They move through their home as strangers, responding without recognition, eating without hunger, existing without the spark that makes a child human. Their dog won't go near them. Their mother's relief curdles into something she can't name.
Sheriff Ty Sherrod knows the wrongness runs deeper than trauma. He's seen grief. He's seen shock. This is something else. Then the bodies start appearing. Drained in ways that turn his stomach. Twisted into positions that break the laws of anatomy. Left in a condition no man or animal could cause. And each time, there's no evidence. No tracks. No explanation. Just death wearing a question mark. The town fractures between relief and horror. The children watch it all with those same blank stares. And in the woods behind the Connors' house, something ancient stirs, finally given eyes to see our world.
In Laurel Gap, Tennessee, the woods hide secrets, and the lost don't come home unchanged.
From David A Lambert, author of Hushbone, Rangatang, and Black Lung, comes a chilling Southern Gothic nightmare where the price of survival is paid in blood, and some pacts are better left unmade
Kyle and Macy Connors disappeared on a bright summer morning, walking into the forest behind their home in Laurel Gap, TN The search lasted two weeks. Bloodhounds lost the scent. Volunteers found nothing. The woods gave back only silence. Seventy-two days later, the children walked out on their own.
They were filthy. Clothes torn to rags, skin covered in scratches and bruises, dirt ground so deep it seemed part of them. But no real injuries. Nothing broken, nothing infected, nothing to explain how two kids survived over two months in the wilderness. The doctors ran every test. Physically, they were fine. Miraculous, they said. A blessing. But blessings don't stare through their own parents with empty eyes.
Kyle and Macy sit at the kitchen table like hollow puppets. They answer questions in flat, emotionless voices. They claim no memory of the missing months. They move through their home as strangers, responding without recognition, eating without hunger, existing without the spark that makes a child human. Their dog won't go near them. Their mother's relief curdles into something she can't name.
Sheriff Ty Sherrod knows the wrongness runs deeper than trauma. He's seen grief. He's seen shock. This is something else. Then the bodies start appearing. Drained in ways that turn his stomach. Twisted into positions that break the laws of anatomy. Left in a condition no man or animal could cause. And each time, there's no evidence. No tracks. No explanation. Just death wearing a question mark. The town fractures between relief and horror. The children watch it all with those same blank stares. And in the woods behind the Connors' house, something ancient stirs, finally given eyes to see our world.
In Laurel Gap, Tennessee, the woods hide secrets, and the lost don't come home unchanged.
From David A Lambert, author of Hushbone, Rangatang, and Black Lung, comes a chilling Southern Gothic nightmare where the price of survival is paid in blood, and some pacts are better left unmade
420 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2026
10 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
David Lambert
68 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. This profile will contain more than one author. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.
David Lambert (2 spaces): editor of reference books, Diagram Group
David Lambert (3 spaces): Christian author
David Lambert (4 spaces): British educator with a focus on geography, on faculty at the Institute of Education in London
David Lambert (5 spaces): British author who writes about parks and gardens around England
David Lambert (6 spaces): Educator on faculty at Université de Toulouse
David Lambert (7 spaces): Scottish novelist (and union leader) of the 50s
David Lambert (8 spaces): British educator of history with a focus on the Caribbean, on faculty at the University of Warwick
David Lambert (2 spaces): editor of reference books, Diagram Group
David Lambert (3 spaces): Christian author
David Lambert (4 spaces): British educator with a focus on geography, on faculty at the Institute of Education in London
David Lambert (5 spaces): British author who writes about parks and gardens around England
David Lambert (6 spaces): Educator on faculty at Université de Toulouse
David Lambert (7 spaces): Scottish novelist (and union leader) of the 50s
David Lambert (8 spaces): British educator of history with a focus on the Caribbean, on faculty at the University of Warwick
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 13, 2026
Made me want to look my doors
Sleeping with the lights on is my new normal after finishing this one. The whole Southern Gothic vibe just creeps right under your skin and stays there. Reading about Kyle and Macy coming back from the woods looking like normal kids but acting completely hollow honestly gave me the worst shivers. It totally plays on that weird, primal fear of the deep forest and whatever ancient things might be hiding out there in the dark.
I really loved following Sheriff Ty through all the madness. He felt like such a grounded, realistic guy trying to wrap his head around all these impossible, twisted bodies popping up around Laurel Gap. The tension builds so perfectly. That specific detail about the family dog being terrified of the kids was so unsettling and really set the mood for the whole nightmare. You can just feel the mom's sheer panic the whole time.
I'm giving it four stars just because some of the police investigation stuff dragged a tiny bit in the middle while we were waiting for the evil to fully show its face. I found myself skimming a couple of the town reaction scenes just to get back to the creepy kids sitting at the kitchen table. But honestly, if you want a slow-burn horror story that totally messes with your head, you should definitely grab a copy.
Sleeping with the lights on is my new normal after finishing this one. The whole Southern Gothic vibe just creeps right under your skin and stays there. Reading about Kyle and Macy coming back from the woods looking like normal kids but acting completely hollow honestly gave me the worst shivers. It totally plays on that weird, primal fear of the deep forest and whatever ancient things might be hiding out there in the dark.
I really loved following Sheriff Ty through all the madness. He felt like such a grounded, realistic guy trying to wrap his head around all these impossible, twisted bodies popping up around Laurel Gap. The tension builds so perfectly. That specific detail about the family dog being terrified of the kids was so unsettling and really set the mood for the whole nightmare. You can just feel the mom's sheer panic the whole time.
I'm giving it four stars just because some of the police investigation stuff dragged a tiny bit in the middle while we were waiting for the evil to fully show its face. I found myself skimming a couple of the town reaction scenes just to get back to the creepy kids sitting at the kitchen table. But honestly, if you want a slow-burn horror story that totally messes with your head, you should definitely grab a copy.
March 21, 2026
I love this author every book always gives me chills so well written and creepy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews