Grabtown
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback, Hardback
Ages: 18+
Their mother left them more than memories—she left them a murder.
When twin sisters Cassandra and Anastasia return to their childhood home in rural Connecticut, they discover an unpublished manuscript hidden among their deceased mother's belongings. Written by their mom's girlfriend AJ, it's a murder mystery that reads like fiction—except their mother is a key character, and the 40-year-old cold case at its center is all too real.
Cassie, a writer, sees a bestseller. Ana, terrified of what they'll uncover, wants to burn it.
As the sisters follow AJ's story into the disturbing truth behind an abandoned village the locals call Grabtown, the line between past and present blurs. Cassie's volatile husband Marsh demands they stop digging. A retired detective arrives asking dangerous questions. And someone believes AJ's manuscript isn't fiction—it's a confession.
What's really behind Marsh's lucrative rare-motorcar business? Why won't the past stay buried? And why is a major crimes detective now urging them to flee?
Grabtown is a gripping dual-timeline thriller that exposes the dark underbelly of small-town secrets, where sisterhood and courage become the only weapons against those who prey on the vulnerable. Perfect for fans of Kellye Garrett's Like a Sister, Shari Lapena’s Listen for the Lie, and Amy Gentry's Good as Gone.
Reviews
Astonishingly suspenseful ... an outstanding read. While it looks at difficult topics such as sexual trauma, human trafficking, murder, and the horrors of the human condition, it is written with a compassionate view. Although the book is not to be taken lightly, it is also written in an uplifting manner, which is no easy task for such difficult topics. The reader will be immediately drawn in by this work and will want to read more from this author.
A dark, satisfying thriller perfect for readers who love family drama and scandalous secrets….A masterfully constructed work, balancing the story within the story with excellent pacing [and] a nail-biting showdown. [Included in Kirkus Reviews Magazine's Best Indie Books of 2025]
The novel’s greatest strength lies in Blanchard’s deft control of mood and tone. Gothic motifs and haunting imagery lend the book an atmosphere of constant unease, right up to the final page. Yet it never overshadows the emotional force of Cassie’s discoveries, nor the sharper social commentary on the silences small towns demand. In the end, Grabtown is a story about refusing the inheritance of secrets and cycles of harm—and mustering the courage it takes to rise above them.
