Home invaders and their victims are trapped in a small, remote cabin by a blizzard two days before Christmas, creating a gripping and bone-chilling read perfect for fans of Taylor Adams and Jason Rekulak.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from When They Find Me by Carter Wilson, which releases on November 10th 2026.
Some secrets don’t fade. They hunt.
Expanse, Colorado. Population 313. A town so remote it barely exists on a map—the perfect hiding place for Annie Wolfe and her daughter, Coral. Their cabin is nearly off the grid, and Annie has done everything to keep them safe. Everything. But she knows the people hunting her don’t forget. And they don’t forgive.
Riven knows about survival. She and her family have lived off the land for years, moving like shadows through the wilderness. Now her father has led them to this forgotten town, tracking the man he swears destroyed their lives. The plan is simple: strike fast, take revenge, and disappear.
But when Riven knocks on Annie’s door, their worlds collide. What follows is darker, stranger, and more dangerous than either woman ever imagined—because the hunt isn’t just for vengeance. It’s for the truth. And in Expanse, Colorado, the truth can kill.
EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
RIVEN
The old man says this is where our target is hiding. Somewhere in this little town. Expanse, Colorado.
Cold and snow, and the old RV’s heat can’t keep my breath from frosting.
Cold’s fine.
I’ve been colder.
I’ve never killed anyone. Boone has. The old man too. Twice each. They never asked me before— maybe ’cause I’m the only girl. But they’re asking now.
“The house is about a half mile from here,” the old man says. “Imagine that. All these years, and now we’re only a half mile away.”
Boone doesn’t say anything. He’s got sleepy hair and a face that looks peaceful, but I know what’s under my brother’s expression.
“When are we doing it?” I ask. We’re parked downtown, if you can call it that. This place is tiny. We’ve been through a lot of places like this. Towns where nobody asks questions because they don’t want questions asked back. Hiding towns. Just like we like it.
We won’t be staying after the killing.
“I suspect pretty soon,” the old man says. “If you’re ready.”
Ready?
I hadn’t really thought about that. Makes it sound like I have a say.
“You sure you don’t want to do it?”
I ask him that a lot, ever since he found out where the target was living. He always answers the same.
“Years ago, I would’ve,” he says. “Thought it should be my kill. But this death belongs to all three of us now. And I need to make sure you can do it before I go.”
Boone stirs, tense for the first time. “You’re not going anywhere, Coyote.”
My father doesn’t like us calling him Dad. He says that’s too human. He likes Coyote. Sometimes I call him that. But in my head, he’s the old man. He’d hate that. Maybe that’s why I keep doing it.
Not that fifty- seven is all that old. But he’s always looked like someone in the middle of dying. Especially now.
“You know I am,” the old man says to Boone.
“A doctor could help,” Boone replies. We both know what the old man will say to this.
“Wild animals don’t get doctors. No dignity in fighting nature.”
The old man’s down weight— at least ten pounds he didn’t have to spare. Not a skeleton yet, but he’s headed there. I try not to think about it, but I do. I picture him dead all the time. Lying still. Last words spent. No more talk about animal glory, about human waste, about our past, or what’s supposed to happen once it’s just Boone and me.
I don’t want him gone. But I wouldn’t mind less talking.
“You need time, Riven?”
I nod. Not because I actually need time, but because I don’t know how to say no.
Killing is supposed to be instinctive. Boone and the old man made it sound like breathing. But my hands won’t stop shaking, and my stomach is sour. I’m not scared. I’m just…not ready.
I want to be ready. I have to be ready. For him. For Boone. For me.
“Maybe we can get something to eat,” I say.
“Animals kill on empty stomachs,” the old man says. Quick, like he’s been waiting to say it. “That’s why they kill.”
He says stuff like that a lot.
“Please, Coyote.”
He considers, then nods. “Fine. We’ll get you some food.”
Just the idea of food hits something in me. I barely touched dinner last night, but now, on the day itself, I’m starving.
And that makes me wonder:
Does prey ever know when it’s had its last meal?
Excerpted from WHEN THEY FIND ME © 2026 by Carter Wilson. Reprinted with permission from Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks. All rights reserved.
