Authors: Sophie Littlefield
The Moon Pool (50 page)
7. What are you writing next?
The book I'm working on takes place closer to home, in a gritty part of Oakland, California, where an out-of-work teacher relocates in order to recover from a terrible loss, only to discover that changing her identity doesn't keep all of her demons at bay, and that she has more to fear than the crime wave sweeping the neighborhood.
North Dakota is like nowhere Colleen has ever seen. Vast rolling plains of silvery snow, studded with shimmering black pools, lit by occasional flares of orange light. It is a landscape both beautiful and terrible. It is the landscape that swallowed her son.
Across town, another mother also searches for her missing boy. He too disappeared from the oilfields where he worked. And no-oneânot his employers, not the policeâseems to care that he is gone.
As long as they are alone, these two women will never find out the truth. But if they team up, and help each other, then maybe, just maybe, this freezing wilderness will give them back their sonsâ¦
âA powerful portrait of grief, fear, and courage as two mothers fight for truth.'
C.J. Lyons
âTaut and suspenseful, fierce and compelling⦠doesn't let up until the last page.'
Jennie Shortridge
âA powerful story of love and the strength that can be drawn from unexpected places⦠Told with beauty and heart.'
Michelle Gable
âWith two strong, complicated women at its centre, Sophie Littlefield's The Moon Pool never lets you go. Utterly original⦠A remarkable novel.'
Megan Abbott
S
OPHIE
L
ITTLEFIELD
'
S
novels have won Anthony and RT Book Awards and have been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, Macavity, and Goodreads Choice Awards. Sophie lives in northern California. This is her UK debut. Visit her website at
www.sophielittlefield.com
House of Glass
Garden of Stones
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The story starts here.
First published in 2014 by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
First published in the UK in 2014 by Head of Zeus Ltd.
Copyright © Sophie Littlefield, 2014
Jacket design: kid-ethic.com
Author photo: Gigi Pandian
The moral right of Sophie Littlefield to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (HB) 9781781856840
ISBN (XTPB) 9781781856857
ISBN (E) 9781781856833
Head of Zeus Ltd
Clerkenwell House
45-47 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0HT
Topics and questions for discussion
A conversation with Sophie Littlefield