Heather
- Judith D Collins
- Jun 7
- 5 min read
By: Caitlin Mullen
Narrators: Bailey Carr, Christine Lakin, Mia Wurgaft
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 9781250400574
Publisher: Celadon Books
Publication Date: 06/09/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
A small-town detective reopens an unsolved case, sending shock waves across generations of women in this gripping new mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author of Please See Us.
1990. In the myth-riddled woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, sixteen-year-old Annabelle Riley's twin sister, Sabrina, has been having an affair with a mysterious older man, and Annabelle is determined to uncover what's going on. Then, inexplicably, both sisters disappear.
In this same town years later, newly instated police chief Callie Hauser makes an arrest that unexpectedly resurrects details from a heartbreaking cold case. As she digs deeper, the past and the present collide, challenging everything Callie believes about right and wrong, who she is, and the town she's always called home.
A propulsive mystery as incisive as it is forgiving, Heather bears a visceral reminder that the truth of a woman's life is often complicated and unknowable—to those on the outside, and sometimes even to herself.
My Review
A haunting, slow-burning 1990s historical procedural.
"A razor-sharp mystery where a small-town police chief is forced to re-examine a devastating cold case from the depths of a myth-riddled forest."
In HEATHER, Edgar Award–winning author Caitlin Mullen (Please See Us delivers a deeply atmospheric, multi-generational New Jersey Pine Barrens, 1990s historical thriller mystery.
The story hinges on an ambitious female chief of police facing immense structural and personal hurdles to solve the disappearance of twin sisters.
Relentless detective vs. small-town corruption.
Elevator Pitch
Decades after sixteen-year-old twin sisters vanish from the eerie woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a newly instated female police chief makes an arrest that unexpectedly reopens the cold case, forcing past and present to collide in a town built on secrets.
Setting
The story shifts seamlessly between a pivotal timeline in the 1990s and the present day. The narrative unfolds within a tight-knit, isolated community nestled deep in the shadows of the myth-riddled, dense, and fog-heavy New Jersey Pine Barrens.
Vibe
Tense, brooding, and deeply lyrical. It pairs the gritty, slow-burning realism of Mare of Easttown with the haunting, folklore-tinged dread of an isolated, small-town cold case.
Genre
Historical Mystery / Police Procedural / Psychological Suspense.
Themes
~The Presentness of the Past/Trauma
~Exploitation and Vulnerability
~Motherhood and Sisterhood
~Grit and Resilience
CALLIE HAUSER: THE SEARCHER OF TRUTH
Turning systemic skepticism into a relentless investigative crusade.
Standout Characters
~Callie Hauser: The protagonist, a newly appointed, fiercely determined police chief whose pursuit of a cold case challenges everything she knows about her town and herself.
~Annabelle and Sabrina Riley: The missing 1990s twin sisters—one protective and suspicious, the other trapped in a dangerous affair with an older man before they both vanished.
Author Writing Standout
Mullen’s signature gift for chronicling complex women shines through in her meticulous, highly empathetic rendering of the multiple points of view.
Takeaway
The absolute truth of a woman's life is often complicated and unknowable to outsiders; finding justice requires standing together to expose the monsters hidden in plain sight.
Title Significance
Heather acts as an organic and structural marker for the novel. It represents both the rough, resilient flora thriving in the harsh undergrowth of the Pine Barrens and a poignant nod to the fragile, feral nature of youth that the small town failed to protect.
Metaphor
The myth-riddled woods of the Pine Barrens serve as the central metaphor of the novel. They represent the community’s collective subconscious—a dark, tangled labyrinth where deep secrets and historic crimes are buried, yet stubbornly refuse to decay.
Why You Should Read
Read this if you are a fan of deeply immersive, atmospheric literary mysteries like The God of the Woods by Liz Moore or the work of Tana French, where the setting is just as much a character as the people navigating it.
My Thoughts
The novel succeeds beautifully in building generational tension. The 1990s timeline is perfectly captured—not just in its aesthetics, but in the raw medical and social anxieties of vulnerable teenage girls. Callie is an unforgettable lead; her grit, focus, and vulnerability make her incredibly grounded. A masterfully executed, high-stakes climax.
Verdict 4.5 / 5 Stars
"A haunting, masterfully executed historical procedural that pairs complex, flawed women with a genuinely chilling small-town conspiracy."
Recs
~Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen (for the author's Edgar Award–winning look at marginalized women and systemic crime)
~The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (for a similarly rich, atmospheric mystery exploring vanished youth in a dense forest setting
Special thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustRead Books
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: June 9, 2026
June 2026 Must-Read Books
Praise
"Caitlin Mullen’s Heather is the rare book that manages to be both a riveting page-turner and a deeply insightful meditation on the lives of girls and women. A story of mothers, daughters, and the tangled bonds of sisterhood, Heather reveals each character in her full complexity―hard and soft, struggling and empowered, each with her own past full of regrets and fiercely-earned triumphs. The final pages took my breath away."
―Alexis Schaitkin, author of Saint X and Elsewhere
“If you enjoyed Mare of Easttown, you’ll love Heather. A gritty cold-case detective story, vividly and insightfully written. Not just a story of murder, it’s a thought-provoking and moving meditation on mothers and daughters and the long-reaching consequences of the choices we make.”
―Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Fury
"Visceral as a wound and nuanced as a river’s crosscurrents, Mullen’s latest is a tour de force exploration of the intersection between generational trauma and generational corruption, a story brimming with equal parts horror and humanity. With HEATHER, Caitlin Mullen is at the height of her powers."
―Katie Lattari, author of Dark Things I Adore
"Heather is not only a compelling mystery, but also a deeply empathic portrait of women’s lives in all their complexities. A thought-provoking and engaging read that stays with you long after you finish."
―Amy Tintera, author of New York Times bestseller Listen for the Lie
“Stunning! A gorgeously written page-turner that’s many things at once: gritty and lyrical, gripping and moving, suspenseful and profound."
―Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Only One Left
"A beautiful and propulsive literary mystery perfect for fans of Tana French and Liz Moore―Heather is a deeply immersive, eerie, and timely novel about girlhood, motherhood, and friendship; the stories we inherit and the ones we create; and who deserves punishment for the most intimate crimes. Caitlin Mullen is an extraordinary chronicler of women's grit and resilience--and the unfathomable choices we make when our backs are against the wall. I loved this novel."
―Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You'll Ever Know
"Heather is an absorbing, atmospheric novel, written with empathy and a lot of heart. Caitlin Mullen delivers a stylish, propulsive read, featuring characters that will stay with you long after you're done turning the pages."
―Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant
"A haunting exploration of how far people will go to feel seen, a searing indictment of a man who exploited the most vulnerable, and a powerful testament to the devastating consequences and the remarkable strength and resilience that follow. This powerful novel will appeal to fans of Allen Eskens, Elle Marr, and Brad Parks."
―Library Journal Starred Review
About the Author
Caitlin Mullen is the author of Please See Us, which won the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was named a New York Times best crime novel in 2020. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and children. WEBSITE
