Seven for a Secret

Ages 12 And Up, Grades 7 And Up

One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thrillers of 2025

Sadie meets The Female of the Species in this YA thriller starring Nev, one of eight missing girls from a group home called Sister's Place—and the only one who returned.

In the town of Avan Island, there was a group home called Sister’s Place. It housed girls no one cared about, girls who had nothing and no one but each other. Over the course of six months, eight girls from the home seemingly disappeared, never to return. 

But one girl did. 

Nev is the girl who returned. The girl who survived. She's done her best to leave what happened in the forest on Avan Island behind her, but now, five years later, the men in charge of Sister’s Place, the men who brushed the missing girls off as “runaways,” are turning up dead. And Nev realizes that confronting the town that was all to happy to forget her may be her only chance to get answers about what happened to her sisters.

As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan's secrets—and as more bodies pile up—she must unravel the mysteries locked in her own mind as she hunts down a killer who is willing to do anything to make sure the past stays buried.

Lost sisters, female rage, and the determination to survive drive Nev on her propulsive journey to find answers and peace—and maybe revenge.

Story Locale:Maryland

About the Author

Mary E. Roach is a former teacher who now writes across genres and age categories, most recently thrillers and romance. When she is not writing stories for powerful girls, Mary enjoys running, teaching martial arts, and disappearing into the wilderness. Mary lives in St. Paul with her fiancée and their very disagreeable cat, Lulu. She can be found on Instagram @MaryERoachAuthor or online at maryeroach.com

Author Residence: Minneapolis, MN