The River at Night A Novel

When Winifred Allen agrees to join her three best friends for their annual girls’ trip, she’s looking for escape—from a suffocating job, from the grief of losing her brother, from the loneliness of divorce. What she finds instead is a raw test of survival in the unforgiving Maine wilderness.

A white water rafting accident in the remote Allagash Wilderness strips away everything—their raft, their supplies, their safety. Stranded and desperate, the four women spot a fire on the mountainside that promises rescue. But the ramshackle camp they stumble upon harbors darker intentions, and what began as a weekend adventure transforms into a visceral fight for survival that will force Wini to discover reserves of strength she never knew existed.

Erica Ferencik crafts a psychological thriller that reads like a fever dream—intimate character observations collide with heart-pounding suspense against the stark beauty of the Maine backcountry. The River at Night is more than a survival story; it’s an unflinching exploration of friendship tested to its breaking point, of long-buried secrets surfacing when there’s nowhere left to hide.

“Raw, relentless, and heart-poundingly real,” according to New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware, this novel will keep you reading late into the night, checking the shadows, unable to shake the feeling that something lurks just beyond the firelight. Perfect for fans of psychological suspense who crave stories with teeth—and aren’t afraid to get a little lost in the wilderness.

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