The Counting Game by Sinéad Nolan: A haunting debut where myth and fear blur in the Irish woods

Two children walk into the woods, and only one returns. From that chilling premise, The Counting Game by Sinéad Nolan unfolds into an atmospheric psychological mystery that lingers long after the final page. Releasing April 7, 2026, this debut crime novel turns a rural Irish legend into something far more unsettling: a story where the real danger might be human—or something else entirely.

Set in southwest Ireland in 1995, the novel opens with the disappearance of thirteen-year-old Saoirse Kellough. She vanished while playing the so-called “Counting Game” in the forest with her younger brother, Jack. The rules are simple: go into the woods, count to ten, and stay hidden. The problem is that only Jack comes out. Worse still, he refuses to speak about what happened.

Enter Freya Hemmings, a psychotherapist brought in to help investigators break Jack’s silence. Freya is still carrying grief of her own, and the emotional weight she brings to the situation makes her interactions with Jack particularly compelling. As she tries to untangle the boy’s silence, the investigation exposes the fragile fault lines running through the Kellough family—and through the town itself.

What makes The Counting Game especially gripping is its atmosphere. The tension in this novel is deliciously sustained. Throughout most of the story, you’re never entirely sure what you’re dealing with. Is there a man stalking young girls in the forest? Or is there something far older and more mysterious hiding among the trees?

Nolan cleverly leans into Ireland’s deep well of folklore without ever explicitly naming it. The novel evokes the unsettling presence of faeries and other supernatural beings familiar in Irish mythology, but it never confirms anything outright. Instead, the story introduces a mysterious “Creature,” an entity unique to this narrative that feels both mythic and plausible within the eerie logic of the woods. The ambiguity works beautifully, keeping readers suspended between rational explanation and supernatural possibility.

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At the same time, the novel is grounded in very real emotional terrain. Nolan explores mental illness through Jack’s mother, whose struggles cast a long shadow over the family. Jack’s older sister appears to be heading down a similar path, and neither woman receives the help she desperately needs. The result is a household where the children must navigate instability long before they’re equipped to understand it.

One of the novel’s strongest elements is its portrayal of how children process trauma. Jack’s silence isn’t just a plot device; it feels like an authentic representation of a child grappling with experiences too frightening and confusing to articulate. Nolan captures the fragmented logic of a traumatized child’s mind with remarkable sensitivity, allowing readers to feel both Jack’s fear and his desperate attempt to protect the secrets he believes must remain hidden.

For a debut, The Counting Game shows impressive control over mood and pacing. The creeping sense of dread, the psychological complexity of the characters, and the unresolved tension between folklore and reality all combine to create a story that feels both intimate and unsettling.

Readers who enjoyed the eerie atmosphere of The God of the Woods or the psychological depth of The Witch Elm will find plenty to appreciate here. Nolan proves herself to be a writer who understands how to build tension slowly, letting the darkness of the story seep in rather than rushing toward it. The Counting Game marks an impressive debut for Sinéad Nolan and introduces a voice worth watching in crime fiction.

If you read The Counting Game, I’d love to hear your thoughts—did you believe there was something supernatural in the woods, or were the monsters entirely human? Share your thoughts in the comments.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with a print copy of this novel for review purposes.

Related Content

• Alumni interview: Sinead Nolan (Faber Academy)
• Beginner’s pluck: Counsellor and psychotherapist Sinéad Nolan (Irish Examiner)
• By the book: Sinéad Nolan swaps psychotherapy for thriller writing (Stellar)
• Sinéad Nolan opens up about the ‘mental and emotional torture’ of IVF after spending tens of thousands (RSVP Live)

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