When Lex left No Hope, she had no plans to return. Never wanted to. Not after... No. She doesn't allow herself to go there. Leave it in the rear-view, just like her hometown.

Ten years down the road, the past can't seem to stay in the past and her life is in disarray. She really needs to start getting her shit together.

Then her mother is brutally murdered, and Lex finds herself on the long, desolate drive back home. Once there, Lex discovers things are worse than she thought. The family home is in shambles, her father is in decline, and her brother is, somehow, an even bigger asshole than before. Taking comfort in the presence of old friends-and a possible new lover-Lex plans to again leave No Hope in the rear-view as fast as possible. Screw what's left of her so-called family.

Those plans go awry when a mysterious woman, known to the locals as Spooky Talia, asks a seemingly impossible favour of Lex take up a quest for a mythical talisman so she can strike a bargain with a vicious group of bloodsuckers who aren't known for their patience. A bargain that will, apparently, hopefully, save her life and deliver her mother's murderer.

It's also Lex's last chance to get her shit together. No pressure.

Embarking on the most bizarre road trip imaginable, Lex will have to face her demons-both real and imagined-in order to rediscover any hope in a town where hope has always gone to die.

"Nope. Don't like this at all. Tobin, I don't trust you. No, no. F*ck no!" - Jennifer Dinsmore, editor of The Aphotic series.