"At once suspenseful and tender…a queer horror masterpiece."
—Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

Sixteen years ago, Brigit Weylan’s older sister, Emma, walked into the woods in their small hometown of Ellis Creek. She never walked out. People said she was troubled—in the months leading up to her death, she was convinced there was a monster in those trees. Marked by the tragedy, Brigit left town and never looked back.

Now Brigit travels around the country investigating paranormal activity (and faking the results) with her cameraman, Ian. But when she receives a call from Ellis Creek, she’s thrust into the middle of a search for two missing teenagers. As Brigit and Ian are drawn further into the case, the parallels to Emma’s death become undeniable. And worse, Brigit can’t explain what’s happening to her: trees appearing in her bedroom in the middle of the night, something with a very familiar laugh watching her out in the darkness, and Emma’s voice on her phone, reminding Brigit to finish what they started.

More and more, it looks like Emma was right: there is a monster in Ellis Creek, and it’s waited a long time for Brigit to come home.

Praise for What Grows in the Dark

  • Opens with an unease that builds to outright disturbing... A compelling combination of lies, secrets, and twists.

    Booklist

  • Evans gets the pacing of this chiller just right. Skin-crawling and unpredictable.

    Publishers Weekly

  • A spooky walk in the woods for fans of supernatural mysteries, LGBTQIA+ protagonists, and folk horror such as The Blair Witch.

    Library Journal

  • Through mounting dread, with every turn of the page, What Grows in the Dark explores—terrifyingly so—the notions of family, indebtedness, and how the past never really lets us go.

    Keith Rosson, author of Fever House

  • At once suspenseful and tender... a spooky page-turner, an unflinching examination of trauma, and a moving and brilliant exploration of all the things that possess us and keep us trapped in the past.

    Mac Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

  • A surreal and deftly crafted debut. Evans weaves mystery, horror, and family through impossible forests, making you question character and truth in unsettling yet deeply satisfying ways.

    Sequoia Nagamatsu, author of How High We Go in the Dark

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