Empty Smiles

Chapter One

Summer in East Evansburg, and a sun like a hot white eye glared down at the cracked and shriveling earth. It hadn't rained in weeks. Months. The April showers had come on time, but May was dry as dust, and June brought in a thick, sticky heat that refused to go away. The sun parched the new leaves as they opened, and made them curl up like caterpillars on their twigs.

July came, but the rain didn't. Families' wells went dry, so they had to truck in water, and the sticky air lay like a hot puddle in houses and never seemed to go, no matter how often they opened and shut the windows. The only people who enjoyed the heat were kids and the makers of creemees. And even for kids, riding bikes around town started to lose its appeal, with the sun glaring down.

Swimming holes were mobbed every weekend.

The East Evansburg swimming hole was on Lethe Creek. A cold green place in the stream where the water slipped under a covered bridge. Little kids liked to play on the rocks there. On really hot days, parents set up their chairs right in the water, dipping their feet and calling to their neighbors.

On a Saturday in late August, the heat lay on people's necks like a hand. Parents in chairs kept soaking their T-shirts and wearing them wet against the white-eyeball sun. Kids chased dogs into and out of the water. People shouted and people laughed.

Six parents sat with their chairs arranged in a tight circle, right in the water, so their bare feet stayed wet. Three of them were moms, and three were dads.

They weren't laughing.

"Coco won't talk to me," one said. Her blond hair was plaited down her back, and she wore a plaid shirt over her swimsuit, to protect her skin from the sun. Coco was her daughter. "But something's wrong. I just know it."

The man next to her had dark, sad eyes. He took her hand but didn't say anything. He'd had a daughter named Olivia, but she was dead. She'd died in a boating accident on Lake Champlain.

Katherine Arden is the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces quartet. In addition to writing novels, she enjoys aimless travel, growing vegetables, and running wild through the woods with her dog. She lives in Vermont.

Praise for Empty Smiles:

The terror continues for Ollie, Coco, Brian, and Phil in this frightening series finale. . . Arden never disappoints with her thrilling, spine-tingling scenes and this book is full of them. First came scarecrows, ghosts, and monsters, but she has saved the best for last: evil clowns! Verdict: Fans of the series won t be disappointed. School Library Journal

Arden once again flexes her gift for atmospheric writing to envelop readers in the story s eerie mist. The expert use of pacing and sensory cues sights, sounds, and smells helps heighten the genuinely terrifying chase scenes. Chess matches and conversations between Ollie and the smiling man humanize the shape-shifting villain, exposing just enough of his motives to wrap up unanswered questions. . . A thrilling and chilling end to a standard-setting series. Kirkus Reviews

The final book in Arden s quartet that started with Small Spaces (2018) deliciously ramps up the scares. . .Fittingly creepy. . .the unsettling atmosphere will delight middle-grade horror fans who want to send a chill up their spines. Booklist

Praise for Dark Waters:
An Amazon Best Book August 2021

Arden skillfully blends a creature feature with a survival tale, taking the series into new territory without deviating from its successful formula. The deliberate pacing maintains a palpable sense of dread, equally anxiety-inducing and terrifying. . . Another deliciously hair-raising entry in a series that continues to make a huge splash. Kirkus Reviews

Describing the creepy setting where all the action takes place with cinematic detail, Arden piles on the terror, weaving in Lake Champlain history and pirate lore.   Buffalo News

The ending definitely ramped up the stakes once more and I m now anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this