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Pub date March 16, 2025

ISBN 978-1069182401

Price $15.99 (USD) Paperback

Author interview

A father’s descent into obsession and self-destruction fuels this harrowing start to the Decay Abloom series from Wino.  After his daughter’s murder, Drystan Caine is a man unmoored. When the investigation stalls, he takes justice into his own hands. But as his pursuit turns reckless, his world begins to fracture. Driven by grief and desperation, Drystan’s quest leads him down a dangerous path. As he nears the truth, the real question emerges; how far will he go before he loses himself entirely?

Wino’s raw, poetic prose deftly immerses readers in Drystan’s fractured psyche. The writing is unflinching, each sentence heavy with exhaustion and anguish. The novel’s emotional gut punches come in quiet, devastating moments—a police station where Drystan mistakes a missing person’s flyer for Alba’s; a rage-fueled assault on a sculpture they once made together. These scenes resonate because they strip grief down to its barest, most human form. The narrative’s oscillating structure mirrors Drystan’s unraveling mind. The pacing is measured and the plotting expertly done. Readers drawn to haunting, character-driven narratives will find much to admire here.

A chilling exploration of how grief distorts morality and turns justice into something far darker.