The Season of Sinking
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 5
- 5 min read
Narrator: Natalie Van Sistine
ISBN: 9781538770931
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: 07/07/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
From a hit true crime podcaster turned novelist, a woman’s unsettling past creeps back into her consciousness as she returns to her hometown and begins to suspect the locals are hiding a terrible secret swirling around her mother's recent death.
When Imogen Bly's mother suddenly passes away, she leaves her Seattle apartment and returns to Lake Blair—the picturesque Washington town where she grew up. After Imogen and her twin sister Amelia arrive, ready to pack up their mother's home, strange things begin to happen, reminding Imogen of her long held feelings of dread surrounding her hometown.
Imogen enlists the help of her first crush, next-door neighbor Rory, to uncover the truth about her mother's death and the traumatic event she experienced as a child. But is the boy who got away really the man with something to hide? Or is the suspicious neighbor in the house across the lake behind it all?
When Imogen’s own family’s tragedies lead her to question the disappearance of a local young woman the previous year, her persistent unease becomes terrifyingly real and suddenly nowhere feels safe …
My Review
A sudden death. A missing local girl. A suspicious neighbor across the lake
In The Season of Sinking, true-crime podcaster turned novelist Daphne Woolsoncroft (Night Watcher 2025) delivers an eerie, deeply atmospheric, and unsettlingly hypnotic Pacific Northwest small-town psychological mystery. The story hinges on a grieving woman returning to her lakeside childhood roots, facing immense emotional and psychological hurdles to expose the dark truths buried within a gossipy, secretive community.
Chilling hometown secrets vs. an escalating childhood dread.
A heavy return to an isolated childhood home turns into a frantic, paranoid investigation when a mother's sudden death unearths the suspicious disappearance of a local girl.
Elevator Pitch
A slow-burning, highly suspenseful psychological mystery that follows a young woman returning to her picturesque Washington lake town to pack up her late mother’s home, only to find herself trapped in a web of town secrets, childhood trauma, and a suspicious neighbor across the lake.
Review Breakdown
Intro
When Imogen Bly's mother suddenly passes away, she leaves her Seattle apartment and returns to Lake Blair—the small, seemingly idyllic Washington town where she grew up. Arriving with her twin sister Amelia to pack up the family estate, Imogen is instantly hit by an overwhelming, long-held sense of dread. When strange occurrences begin happening around the house and her own family’s tragedies start connecting to the unresolved disappearance of a local young woman from the previous year, Imogen realizes the community is hiding a dark secret. Enlisting her childhood crush and next-door neighbor, Rory, she starts digging for the truth, but soon realizes that in Lake Blair, nobody is entirely innocent.
Setting
The dark, misty, and claustrophobic environment of Lake Blair, Washington, where the lakeside homes are close enough to watch each other, but isolated enough to hide terrible crimes.
Vibe
Eerie, moody, and deeply paranoid. Brilliantly channels the heavy Lake-town suspense of Middletide colliding with the deep-seated family rot of The Better Mother.
Genre
Psychological Thriller / Small-Town Suspense.
Themes
~The Complexities of Sisterhood and Grief
~The Weight of Unresolved Childhood Trauma
~Small-Town Secrets and Voyeurism
~The Illusion of Picturesque Sanctuaries
Standout Characters
~Imogen Bly: The grief-stricken protagonist whose deep, intuitive unease about her hometown turns into a frantic, terrifyingly real hunt for answers.
~Amelia Bly: Imogen’s twin sister, who provides a complicated, tense anchor of sisterhood as they dismantle their mother's life under a cloud of suspicion.
~Rory: The boy next door and Imogen's first crush, whose helpful nature forces her to question if he is an ally or the man with the most to hide.
Author Writing Standout
As a hit true-crime podcaster (co-host of Going West), Daphne Woolsoncroft brings an incredible, empathetic eye to structural investigations and town dynamics. She writes tension beautifully, making the environment an active, threatening character in the narrative.
Takeaway
Facing the truth lurking just beneath the surface requires immense courage, especially when your own family history is woven into the lies.
Title Significance
"The Season of Sinking " captures both the literal setting of the lake and the psychological state of the protagonist as she feels herself drowning under the weight of grief, paranoia, and heavy town memory.
Metaphor
The dark water of Lake Blair represents the town's collective consciousness—serene and beautiful on top, but teeming with cold, hidden dangers underneath.
Why You Should Read
A spine-tingling, character-driven mystery that effortlessly hooks you into its slow-burning tension, offering a rewarding experience for fans of moody, atmospheric thrillers.
AN EERIE, TENSE, AND UTTERLY HYPNOTIC SMALL-TOWN MYSTERY.
"A grieving woman's return to her picturesque childhood lake house reopens a dark web of local secrets and childhood dread."
My Thoughts
"Daphne Woolsoncroft delivers an absolute page-turner exploring the terrifying realities of hidden neighborhood agendas and childhood trauma."
THE PAST DOESN'T STAY BURIED BENEATH THE SURFACE FOREVER.
"What begins as an emotional return to pack up a mother’s estate fast becomes a relentless, claustrophobic hunt for a missing local girl."
In The Season of Sinking, the pacing turns the screw perfectly. Woolsoncroft builds a fantastic layer of paranoia around the neighboring houses and childhood relationships, making you look at every character with extreme suspicion. Imogen’s raw grief and determination make her a compelling guide through the murky waters of this town’s hidden past.
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)
"A highly engaging, beautifully tense thriller that makes the Pacific Northwest feel deeply sinister. If you love small-town thrillers with a massive sense of atmosphere and dread, you need to read The Season of Sinking."
Recs (readalikes)
Read this if you loved Night Watch by Daphne Woolsoncroft, The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager, The Woods, or I Will Find You by Harlan Coben.
Special thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts>
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date July 7, 2026
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
July 2026 Must-Read Books
Praise
"Daphne Woolsoncroft has cemented her place among today's top thriller writers. The Season of Sinking proves it."
―Jennifer van der Kleut, author of The Better Mother
“Eerie, tense, and utterly hypnotic. Woolsoncroft weaves a spine-tingling tale of sisterhood, obsession, and the courage it takes to face the truths lurking just beneath the surface.”
―Kelsey Cox, USA Today bestselling author of Party of Liars
"Consider me wrecked—Daphne Woolsoncroft has done it again. Haunting, propulsive, and dripping with atmosphere, The Season of Sinking is a masterclass in tension. Fans of family secrets and buried hometown mysteries will devour this. It’s impossible to put down and even harder to shake."
―Penny Zang, author of Doll Parts
About the Author
Daphne Woolsoncroft, a Los Angeles native, is the host and producer of the hit true crime podcast Going West. She previously lived in Oregon with her husband, where she found inspiration in the lush, often gloomy landscapes of Portland and the wider Pacific Northwest for her thrillers, including her debut novel, Night Watcher. When she isn’t researching crime stories or writing, she can be found at the movie theater or reading on the couch with her English bulldog, Dewey. WEBSITE
