Set in the 1990s – Write on the World

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.

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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.

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Dirty Metal by Allison LaMothe drops readers into pre-Giuliani New York City with a pill-popping, rule-breaking tabloid reporter at its center—and it does so with real confidence for a debut. Set in 1992, the novel follows Parker Snow, a 27-year-old crime reporter whose last big story went spectacularly wrong. Now sidelined onto organized crime coverage, Parker is desperate to prove she still belongs on the streets, no matter how questionable her methods become.

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LaMothe’s biggest strength is atmosphere. The city feels grimy, volatile, and alive, especially as Russian organized crime begins asserting power in Brighton Beach. Parker herself fits this world: reckless, sharp-tongued, and driven more by obsession than good judgment. She steals, trespasses, manipulates sources, and self-medicates her trauma, all while insisting she’s chasing the truth. It’s not hard to see how she landed in professional trouble—and why her boss tries to keep her on a short leash.

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