Girl in the Creek

By: Wendy N. Wagner

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

Girl in the Creek is a pulse-pounding story about the horrors growing all around us, perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and T. Kingfisher.

Buried secrets only spread.

Erin's brother Bryan has been missing for five years.

It was as if he simply walked into the forests of the Pacific Northwest and vanished. Determined to uncover the truth, Erin heads to the foothills of Mt. Hood where Bryan was last seen alive. He isn’t the first hiker to go missing in this area, and their cases go unsolved.

When she discovers the corpse of a local woman in a creek, Erin unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of very powerful forces—from this world and beyond—hell-bent on keeping their secrets buried.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

Critic reviews

Praise for Girl in the Creek:

“There's no one out there writing quite like Wendy N. Wagner. Her fiction is always the perfect combination of horror and heart. With glittering prose, an unforgettable protagonist, and too many spores to count, Girl in the Creek will haunt you and break your heart in equal measure. A fantastic achievement.”
—Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Haunting of Velkwood

“Wagner combines the body horror of classic King, the tension of Crichton techno-thrillers, and the nostalgic fun of creature features into a love song to the beautifully terrifying grandeur of the Pacific Northwest. Both a critique of the modern true crime landscape and a deep contemplation of humanity’s environmental devastation.”
—Maria Dong, author of Liar, Dreamer, Thief

“Dazzling. Girl in the Creek is unflinching eco-horror, steeped in the pitch-perfect setting of the rainswept Pacific Northwest. I devoured it even though it gutted me, and it solidifies that Wagner is an absolutely electrifying writer.”
—Keith Rosson, author of Fever House

"A tightly written master class in horror."
—Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"A compelling story… Fans of Jeff VanderMeer will not be disappointed by this cli-fi horror tale from Wagner."
—Booklist

Praise for Wendy N. Wagner:

“Wagner's eerie, gorgeously rendered tale goes all in on gothic decadence...The evocative prose and insightful heroine make this a treasure.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Secret Skin

“All of Wendy Wagner's stories feature a rare and precious element: tremendous heart.”
—Fran Wilde, Nebula Award-winning author on An Oath of Dogs

"Wagner effortlessly mixes football and folk horror in this terrifying new novel."
—Angela Slatter, award-winning author of The Briar Book of the Dead on The Deer Kings

“Fast-paced and exciting, An Oath of Dogs is an inventive sci-fi novel about nature, science, corporations, and the drive for survival in us all.”
—Bustle

"Masterful...This is a compulsively readable novel with strong characters that live and breathe on the page and a richly detailed and evocative Pacific Northwest setting."
—Bram Stoker Award-winning author Tim Waggoner on The Deer Kings

fantastic surprise!

I saw a tiktoker recommend this book and got it because I loved the cover, honestly. I started it knowing it was a fantasy of some sort but little else. I must say it was a fantastic surprise! I absolutely loved the narration...very gritty and suspenseful cadence. and the writing was some of the best I've ever come across. I loved the author's poetic description and emotional connections. Not to mention, my appreciation for the nature-themed mystery, monsters, and eeriness, especially as I'm an amateur herbalist. I highly recommend this book for those who love nature, fantasy, and non-gory horror...the kind that sticks with you and is just out of reach, yet looming right over your shoulder. Happy reading!

Boring

The book is boring and political. Did not finish this title which is rare for me.

Great Idea, presented poorly.

I dont want to delve into spoilers but its difficult not to do when discussing what I did or did not like about the book. First off, I will say that the characters are all the same person. Liberal from Portland describes not just the majority of the cast, but every single main character. Every person in the book that is morally 'correct' in the ever present eyes of the omniscient narrator has the exact same beliefs and moral values. Everyone whom is not morally good is simply further away from that. The more 'good' and the more 'bad' a character is presented in the story is further away from, or has more extreme versions of said values. This alone made the story difficult to follow in places as it seems even the author gets the characters confused. I thought about listening through twice just to make sure i wasn't imagining the lack of distinctive personality in each character, but that would require.. listening to the book twice.
This story takes place in Oregon but I think that if the Author has spent time in Oregon at all, its far northern Oregon primarily. That coupled with unironically using phrases like "rizz" and "mansplain" made listening urksome.
In addition, the style of writing is overly drab, melancholic and slow. Which is matched by the 'speaking through her teeth' style of narration.
I wont say dont give this book a try, as the concept is in fact interesting. Its just not utilized well. A lot of potential for horror lost on the politics of the characters. The concept alone kept me wanting to finish the book. If not for that, this would have been a DNF and a refund almost immediately. That being said, the ending was solid. The setting is at least interesting and the concept is great. I personally just had a hard time sitting through the author living their politics through the characters. The characters in general are a big issue. They dont make sense, theyre all carbon copies of eachother, and make pretty dumb decisions. The only real difference between them is appearance, and that is seldom described in detail unless theyre attractive to the main character. Which again, leads to the issues stated above.
tl;dr.
Characters are boring beyond what is acceptable. The authors politics are VERY apparent. A slow, grinding listen. However, great ending and very interesting premise, if somewhat squandered by poor execution.