Westward to Strange

Dark Water Series, Book 1

By: Ray Litt

Narrated by: Megan Trout

At the Salerna Beach drum circle, Lu meets Jake, a handsome addition to her brother's typically wayward social sphere. He's a college kid—a refreshing reprieve from high-school mundanity—and he's undeniably interested in Lu. And Lu is interested in him. But try as she might, she can't clear her mind long enough to enjoy it. She can't stop thinking about the kid in the cove.

On her way to the drum circle, Lu stopped to help a boy caught in the rough waves between the cove jetties. She was lucky to see him. It's dangerous there during the day; to swim there at night is practical suicide. But after a chilling conversation, she finds the boy isn't in as much trouble as she thought. And their meeting does more than prevent Lu from nurturing a new crush. It casts her into a whirlwind investigation of coastal urban legends—one in particular that seems eerily tied to her own family.

Family skeletons are a funny thing. They can quickly turn a sleepy beach existence into an existential nightmare. Lu's once loving relationship with the water becomes confusing. Primal. She loses patches of time. She has vivid nightmares. She has a fallout with her closest friend and becomes obsessed with a mysterious newcomer. Soon, she finds herself wondering if there isn’t something more to these legends. If, in fact, her life depends on how quickly she can unravel the age-old mysteries of the dark water.

First in the Dark Water series, Litt’s paranormal mystery—carried on the backs of a funny cast and enchanting setting—is a thrilling trip into the mesmerizing arena of mermaid mythology.

Continue the adventure with To Each Her Own.

©1998, 2022 Rachel Castleberry (P)2022 Rachel Castleberry