Publisher Description

2008: Deep in the mountain forests of Wyoming, Julian Cooke stumbles across the rotting remains of a wooden wagon. He's discovered what's left of the Preston Group, a convoy of settlers that vanished in the winter of 1856. It's clear that something horrific happened here all those years ago, but Cooke can only find a few tantalising clues.1856: As early snows descend, the eclectic group of settlers that form the Preston wagon train are forced to dig in. Miles from any kind of civilisation, they see the group of Native Americans also trapped nearby as their greatest threat. But they soon realise what true danger is. When a woman is found murdered, one of the Indian party struggles wounded back to camp, whispering of unspeakable evil as he dies. United by fear, the settlers and the Indians must protect themselves against whatever is lurking in the woods. But as suspicion and panic grow, perhaps their own terror will be just as dangerous. Or maybe, whatever's out there is worse than anything they can imagine.Back in the present day, as Cooke unravels the mystery, he must question if the horror he is uncovering was in fact only the start of something much worse...

Notes

New thriller from a fast-growing star, set in the present and in 1856 in a time-slip mystery. From the author of A Thousand Suns and Last Light, it combines big-picture action with great characters. Will appeal to fans of The Blair Witch Project and Lost.

Author Biography

Alex Scarrow lives a nomadic existence with his wife Frances and his son Jacob, their current home being Norwich. He spent the first ten years out of college in the music business chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games industry.

Promotional

A gruesome thriller of suspense and a chilling look at the breeding grounds of evil, Alex Scarrow's new novel will fascinate and terrify you in equal measure. OCTOBER SKIES combines the alone-in-the-woods fear factor of BLAIR WITCH with the suspenseful group dynamics of LOST. Alex's first two novels - A THOUSAND SUNS and LAST LIGHT - have been storming successes. His high-concept thrillers are incredibly pacy and realistic, with a great sense of suspense. Alex combines big-picture action with great characters better than any other young British thriller writer out there. He's has good reviews for his previous novels: 'LAST LIGHT is sensational' London Lite. 'Alex Scarrow's depiction of Britain as only a few hours away from disintegration is chillingly plausible. This is the perfect book to give to somebody who opposes your plans to build a wind farm' Daily Telegraph.

Long Description

2008: Deep in the mountain forests of Wyoming, Julian Cooke stumbles across the rotting remains of a wooden wagon. He's discovered what's left of the Preston Group, a convoy of settlers that vanished in the winter of 1856. It's clear that something horrific happened here all those years ago, but Cooke can only find a few tantalising clues.1856: As early snows descend, the eclectic group of settlers that form the Preston wagon train are forced to dig in. Miles from any kind of civilisation, they see the group of Native Americans also trapped nearby as their greatest threat. But they soon realise what true danger is. When a woman is found murdered, one of the Indian party struggles wounded back to camp, whispering of unspeakable evil as he dies. United by fear, the settlers and the Indians must protect themselves against whatever is lurking in the woods. But as suspicion and panic grow, perhaps their own terror will be just as dangerous. Or maybe, whatever's out there is worse than anything they can imagine.Back in the present day, as Cooke unravels the mystery, he must question if the horror he is uncovering was in fact only the start of something much worse...

Review Quote

'Alex Scarrow's depiction of Britain as only a few hours away from disintegration is chillingly plausible. This is the perfect book to give to somebody who opposes your plans to build a wind farm'-- DAILY TELEGRAPH

Promotional "Headline"

The stunning new thriller from one of the fastest-growing stars of the genre.

Description for Sales People

A gruesome thriller of suspense and a chilling look at the breeding grounds of evil, Alex Scarrow's new novel will fascinate and terrify you in equal measure.

Description for Press or Other Media

2008: Deep in the mountain forests of Wyoming, Julian Cooke stumbles across the rotting remains of a wooden wagon. He's discovered what's left of the Preston Group, a convoy of settlers that vanished in the winter of 1856. It's clear that something horrific happened here all those years ago, but Cooke can only find a few tantalising clues.1856: as early snows descend, the eclectic group of settlers that form the Preston wagon train are forced to dig in. Miles from any kind of civilisation, they see the group of Native Americans also trapped nearby as their greatest threat. But they soon realise what true danger is. When a woman is found murdered, one of the Indian party struggles wounded back to camp, whispering of unspeakable evil as he dies. United by fear, the settlers and the Indians must protect themselves against whatever is lurking in the woods. But as suspicion and panic grow, perhaps their own terror will be just as dangerous. Or maybe, whatever's out there is worse than anything they can imagine.

Details