The Counting Game

By: Sinéad Nolan

Narrator: Alana Kerr-Collins, Jessica Regan

ISBN: 9781668099407

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: 04/07/2026

Format: Hardcover

My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)

APR 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

Into the woods.

Count to ten.

Only one of us comes home again.

When a teenage girl disappears from her small Irish town and a therapist is brought in to break the silence of the only witness, old wounds are reopened in a search that becomes a race against time—perfect for fans of Tana French and Liz Nugent.

Southwestern Ireland, 1995: Two children go into the forest. Only one comes out.

When thirteen-year-old Saoirse Kellough goes missing, panic grips a rural Irish community. Saoirse is not the first girl to disappear in the woods, and the only witness—her troubled younger brother, Jack—refuses to speak. Saoirse went missing when they were playing the Counting Game, a ritual believed to ward off evil, and Jack has sworn to protect the forest’s secrets.

Freya Hemmings, a psychotherapist still healing from the loss of her own daughter, is brought in to help investigators break Jack’s silence. As the race to find Saoirse alive accelerates, the search threatens to unravel a family facing the unthinkable. Everyone is a suspect, and the closer Freya gets to Jack, the more danger she finds herself in.

Haunting and emotional, The Counting Game is a suspenseful debut from an unmissable new voice in crime fiction.

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Praise

“Atmospheric and thrumming with tension. Sinéad Nolan is one to watch."

– Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“This atmospheric, slow-build thriller will appeal to fans of Tana French and Flynn Berry."

– Library Journal

"The Counting Game takes us deep into the woods of superstition and buried secrets to explore all the ways in which we harm and save each other."

– Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The New Couple in 5B

"A debut filled with suspense. The deep gloom and superstition provide a gothic atmosphere that will appeal to readers who enjoy their thrillers dark.”

– Booklist

“An astonishing study of guilt and grief wrapped up in a mystery."

– Liz Nugent, nationally bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond

"Twisty . . . fans of Irish crime fiction will admire Nolan’s regional detail and gift for atmosphere."

– Publishers Weekly

“Tense and haunting . . . a chilling blend of mystery and dark folklore."

– Emiko Jean, New York Times bestselling author of The Return of Ellie Black

"Clever and compulsive."

– Irish Examiner

“Sinéad Nolan has written a richly layered psychological thriller that explores the long shadow of trauma and the tangled bonds of family. Atmospheric and surprising.”

– Caitlin Mullen, Edgar Award-winning author of Please See Us

"There’s much more than meets the eye to Drumsuin and its residents, all of whom seem to harbor dark secrets and hidden pasts."

– Kirkus Reviews

"A powerful debut."

– Amanda Cassidy, author of The Returned

About the Author

Sinéad Nolan grew up playing in the forests and on the beaches of leafy County Dublin, Ireland. She was a regular freelance feature writer for the Sunday World and the Irish Independent and has had short stories shortlisted for the Momaya Press Awards and the Francis McManus Awards for RTE Radio. Apart from writing, she works in private practice as a BACP Registered Counsellor seeing clients in central London. INSTAGRAM