Adrift

By: Will Dean

ISBN: 9781668080054

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: 02/17/2026

Format: Other Adrift

My Rating: TBR (ARC)

FEB 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

The author of the “master class in suspense” (Shari Lapena,New York Timesbestselling author)The Chamber returns with a high-tension thriller about a family’s descent into darkness that is perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane and Lisa Jewell.

Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family’s lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife’s sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.

With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.

With Will Dean’s signature “well-drawn characters and excellent prose” (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author), Adrift is gripping exploration of the ties that bind when everything spirals out of control.

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About the Author

Photograph by Will Dean

\Will Dean is the award-winning author of 10 novels.

He grew up in the East Midlands of the UK, and after studying law at the London School of Economics and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a wooden house in a vast forest. It is from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s TV book club, shortlisted for the National Book Awards,The Guardian’s Not the Booker prize, and was named a Telegraph book of the year. The Last Thing to Burn was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and the Glass Bell Award, and shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculiar crime novel of the year award. He has won the Capital Crime Independent Voice Award and the Bert’s Books Book of the Year award. The Last Passenger was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick in 2024.

Will’s books have been translated into over a dozen languages. He has written four standalone novels: The Chamber, The Last Passenger (called The Last One in the US), First Born, The Last Thing to Burn, and six Tuva Moodyson books (in order): Dark Pines, Red Snow, Black River, Bad Apples, Wolf Pack, and Ice Town. WEBSITE