Shelterwood A Novel

The latest bestseller from USA TODAY and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "Wingate’s exceptional new novel explores a centuries-old legacy of missing children. . . . Her depiction of the region’s history, culture, and landscape captivates. Wingate is at the top of her game." - Publishers Weekly, starred review - Oklahoma, 1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley is aware that her stepfather has ill intentions toward the two Choctaw girls placed in their care. When the older girl goes missing, Ollie escapes into the woods, taking six-year-old Nessa with her. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey to the remote Winding Stair Mountains, a notorious area inhabited by outlaws, treasure seekers, and desperate men. Along the way, Ollie and Nessa form an unlikely alliance with others like them, striving to stay one step ahead of those who wish to exploit them. . . or worse. - Oklahoma, 1990. Law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives at the newly established Horsethief Trail National Park, seeking a quiet place to balance her career and single motherhood. However, as soon as Valerie reports for duty, she is confronted with local controversy over the park’s opening, a missing teenage hiker from one of the trails, and the long-hidden burial site of three children discovered in a cave. Val's quest for the truth earns her an ally in the neighboring Choctaw Tribal Police, but it soon clashes with old secrets and the tragic, deadly history of the land itself. - In this emotional and immersive novel, Lisa Wingate traces the story of children abandoned by the law and the fight for justice. Amid deep conflicts over land ownership and its riches, Ollie and Val navigate the rugged and beautiful terrain, each leaving behind one life in search of another.