In this debut thriller, a troubled child psychologist returns to a small Louisiana town to protect her secrets but winds up having to protect her life. Dr. Willa Watters is a prominent child psychologist at the height of her career. But when a viral video of a disastrous television interview puts her reputation on the line, Willa retreats to Broken Bayou, the town where she spent most of her childhood summers. There she visits her aunts"™ old house and discovers some of her unstable mother"™s belongings still languishing in the attic"”dusty mementos harboring secrets of her harrowing past. Willa"™s hopes for a respite are quickly crushed, not only by what she finds in that attic but also by what"™s been found in the bayou. With waters dropping due to drought, mysterious barrels containing human remains have surfaced, alongside something else from Willa"™s past, something she never thought she"™d see again. Divers, police, and media flood the area, including a news reporter gunning for Willa and Travis Arceneaux"”a local deputy and old flame. Willa"™s fate seems eerily tied to the murders. And with no one to trust, she must use her wits to stay above water and make it out alive.