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Sundial

Worried by her daughter's bone collecting, Rob returns to her family's Mojave ranch. There, Callie grows afraid that only one of them will leave alive.

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“DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK. Authentically terrifying.” ―Stephen King

WINNER of Best Hardcover Novel at the ITW Thriller Awards • Finalist for the Bram Stoker and Locus Awards • Shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel • LibraryReads Top 10 Pick • A GoodReads Choice Award Finalist for Best Horror!

Sharp as a snakebite, Sundial is a gripping novel about the secrets we bury from the ones we love most, from Catriona Ward, the author o f The Last House on Needless Street .

Rob has spent her life running from Sundial, the family’s ranch deep in the Mojave Desert, and her childhood memories.

But she’s worried about her daughter, Callie, who collects animal bones and whispers to imaginary friends. It reminds her of a darkness that runs in her family, and Rob knows it’s time to return.

Callie is terrified of her mother. Rob digs holes in the backyard late at night, and tells disturbing stories about growing up on the ranch. Soon Callie begins to fear that only one of them will leave Sundial alive...

“This book will haunt you.” ―Alex Michaelides, New York Times bestselling author

"An unthinkable feat." ― The New York Times Book Review

First published: 2022
Publisher: Tor Trade
Pages: 320
Amazon reviews: Read reviews on Amazon

Book tags

Content warnings

No content warnings are recorded. Missing warnings do not mean the book is warning-free.

Horror profile

Scary: Not rated
Creepy: Not rated
Gore: Not rated
Disturbing: Not rated
Weird: Not rated

How we calculate this

These are editorial estimates of intensity, informed by reading and review evidence, then checked before publication. They aren't star ratings, reader-vote averages or a measure of quality.

Each dimension runs from 1 (low) to 5 (exceptionally intense). A 5 is reserved for strongly consistent evidence. People experience horror differently.

Scary: Fear, tension and immediate threat.
Creepy: Unease, dread and an uncanny atmosphere.
Gore: Graphic injury, blood and bodily detail.
Disturbing: Upsetting ideas and lingering psychological impact.
Weird: Surreal, strange and reality-bending elements.

We draw a filled profile only when all five scores have been reviewed. Unrated does not mean mild. Missing scores are not estimated from genre tags or your saved taste. This profile isn't a complete content-warning guide.