She learned to live in the permanent twilight of sleep-deprivation psychosis. Life, if you could call it that, was a never-ending out-of-body experience

This 110 page novella was more engaging, creative, and unique than several full-length novels I’ve read lately. M.L. Rio has now been added to my “auto buy” list.

A slightly gothic, modern day thriller and mystery wrapped into one. The story takes place over one day, focused heavily on characters and plot. Hannah, Tuck, Edie, Tamar, and Theo meet late every night in a defunct graveyard. Their meetings have no real purpose except to share a few smokes and escape the stresses of their lives.

We don’t know much about these characters, just enough to make you feel some empathy toward them and curiosity about their backgrounds. Tuck is quiet and “twitchy”, Theo is the muscled frat guy, Edie the smart newspaper editor, Tamar the library scientist who is underemployed, and Hannah is the definitive loose cannon.

When the group, which calls themselves the Anchorites after the graveyard they frequent, witnesses a strange occurrence, they must come together to unravel the mystery. Who is involved, how is it connected to the Anchorites, and how deep does it go?

My ONLY complaint about this book is that it wasn’t longer. I would love a full background for some of the characters, to dive deeper into the main mystery, and see consequences for certain actions. So many unanswered questions and a surprise ending. This was an absolute five star read!