The Night Flowers

Praise

Nuanced characters and artful prose complement the intricately crafted mystery, but what distinguishes Herchenroether’s tale is her visceral, resonant recounting of Laura’s cancer experience. . . . This author is off to a strong start.—Publishers Weekly

Get ready to read through the night. . . . This is a grab-you-by-the-collar page-turner fans of dark thrillers won’t want to miss.—Debutiful

How refreshing to have three women protagonists in this cold case crime debut. . . . Herchenroether’s fact-based novel speaks to all the missing women and children, and to breast cancer survivors everywhere.—Center for Fiction

Pulse-pounding and poignant.—Parade, A Best Mystery Book of Summer

Unforgettable. . . . Seasoned with supernatural suspense, including a killer who stalks the ghosts of his dead victims, The Night Flowers is an entertaining crime thriller enhanced with the engaging personal dramas of the two women investigating the triple homicide. —Shelf Awareness

A librarian and a detective team up to solve a cold case in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest? Yes, please.—The Frontlist

Gripping. . . . Beautiful and haunting. . . . This novel presents unique ways in which women bond with each other and confront their own vulnerabilities.—Full Stop

A character-driven story that moves the reader to cheer as much for the discovery of the victim’s identity as for the identification and capture of the murderer.—Necessary Fiction

An affecting mystery-thriller that’s hard to put down. . . . Set in New Mexico, which Herchenroether depicts exquisitely. . . . You’re going to want to rip through this gripping book to get to the bottom of the mystery.—Oh Reader

A clever cold case mystery with a haunting twist.—JulzReads

Unique. . . . Part whodunnit, part missing-person drama, with a sprinkle of ghost story. . . . Well worth a read.—Guilford Courier

The Night Flowers will satisfy anyone seeking a Bechdel test-passing novel with supernatural overtones and a frank look at what it means to be a survivor. —Locus

Compelling…. It’s hard to write a mystery about a 30-year-old, triple-homicide cold case with real-time stakes, but Sara Herchenroether nails it. . . . I devoured this book.—Columbus Monthly

Haunting and compulsively readable, The Night Flowers is impossible to put down. A novel that is as much ghost story as mystery, Herchenroether has crafted a truly original narrative that unfolds with a shocking array of twists and turns against the backdrop of the Gila National Forest. Every voice in the chorus that makes up this novel sings a siren song of suspense you won’t be able to resist. I devoured it. —Katy Hays, author of The Cloisters

Hypnotic, heart-wrenching, and harrowing, The Night Flowers is an exceptional debut. The twisted path of long-buried wrongs coming to light will keep you on the edge of your seat. Still, it’s the honest exploration of violence, trauma, and scars that never heal that will haunt you. Sara Herchenroether is a true talent. —Hilary Davidson, bestselling author of Her Last Breath

Sara Herchenroether’s astonishing, intricate debut is a deeply nuanced portrayal of those called to name the dead. A cold case detective and soon-to-be grandmother, a genealogist librarian recovering from breast cancer, and the ghost of a murdered woman are the unforgettable heroines of a novel about confronting—and transcending—mortality. Like Tana French meets Ann Patchett, The Night Flowers begs to be raced through the first time and savored the second. Sara Herchenroether is a fierce talent with much to say about women’s strength in their most vulnerable moments. —Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You’ll Ever Know

The Night Flowers is so many things: a murder mystery, a ghost story, a meditation on violence and the fragility of the body. Compelling, insightful, and evocative. —Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers