Sarah P. Blanchard’s “Grabtown” is a hauntingly atmospheric psychological thriller that proves the past is never truly buried; it’s just waiting for the right person to dig it up. Weaving together the sweltering tension of a 1985 summer with the stark realities of the present day, Blanchard delivers a narrative that is as much about the resilience of the female spirit as it is about a cold-case murder.

The story opens with a visceral, high-stakes introduction: twelve-year-old Elena and her sisters are in a shipping container, a desperate gamble for a new life in America. This thread of survival mirrors the internal struggles of the protagonists we meet later: twins Cassie and Ana.

Returning to their childhood home in Connecticut following their mother’s death, the sisters expect to find old furniture. Instead, they find a manuscript. Written by their mother’s best friend, AJ Porter, the pages detail a 1985 murder investigation involving a local farmer, Jimmy Desjardins. As Cassie becomes obsessed with AJ’s words, the idyllic veneer of their small town begins to peel away, revealing a rot that stretches from the 80s directly into Cassie's modern-day marriage.

The heart of the novel is the evolving bond between Cassie and Ana. Blanchard captures the complexity of twinhood—the shared history, the unspoken resentments, and the fierce, protective love that surfaces when the world turns dangerous. “Grabtown” doesn't treat trauma as a plot point, but as a living character. Whether it is the harrowing journey of Elena or the emotional fallout of Cassie’s discovery regarding her husband, Marsh, the book explores how we carry our scars.

The story acts as a bridge between eras, forcing the characters to decide if the truth is worth the destruction it causes. From AJ's moral dilemma in 1985 to Cassie’s modern-day whistleblowing, the “truth” is portrayed as both a burden and a liberation.

“Grabtown” is a slow-burning suspense. It avoids the cheap “jump scares” of the genre, opting instead for a deep, emotional resonance that stays with the reader. The climax, a chilling intersection of a historical mystery and a modern-day digital crime ring, is handled with a deft hand, leading to a resolution that feels earned rather than forced.

“Grabtown” is ideal for fans of intricate, character-driven mysteries such Kellye Garrett's “Like a Sister,” Liz Moore's “The God of the Woods,” and “The Moonflowers” by Abigail Rose-Marie.

“Grabtown” is a powerful reminder that while we cannot change the horrors of the past, we have the power to choose how we walk out of them.