Can't-Wait Wednesday: Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan, Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, & The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

   

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are:

Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan
Publication: October 10th, 2023
Orbit
Paperback. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Seven strangers. One mission. Infinite horror.

A man awakes on a boat at sea with no memory of who or where he is. He's not alone - there are six others, each with a unique set of skills. None of them can remember their names. All of them possess a gun.

When a message appears on the onboard computer - Proceeding to Point A - the group agrees to work together to survive whatever is coming.

But as the boat moves through the mist-shrouded waters, divisions begin to form. Who is directing them and to what purpose? Why can't they remember anything?

And what are the screams they can hear beyond the mist?

Internationally bestselling fantasy author Anthony Ryan - writing as A. J. Ryan - delivers a nerve-shredding thriller in which seven strangers must undertake a terrifying journey into the unknown."

It's exciting to see Anthony Ryan writing some in a new genre, and this premise is one of the most compelling ones I've heard in a while. 

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
Publication: October 31st, 2023
Tor Nightfire
Paperback. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Ana and Reid needed a lucky break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. That's about to change with the words any New Yorker would love to hear―affordable housing lottery.

They've won an apartment in the Deptford, one of Manhattan's most revered buildings with beautiful vistas of Central Park and stunning architecture.

Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana’s deep unease and paranoia as the price of living in New York―people are odd―but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on the baby."

I unfortunately still haven't gotten around to Nat Cassidy's Mary: An Awakening of Terror, but I'm still really curious about his horror and am so eager to dive into Nestlings. 

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
Publication: October 31st, 2023
Atria Books
Paperback. 368 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent break-up and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found.

But from the moment he arrives, things aren’t what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can’t explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he’s losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything.

Are these the ravings of a madman? Or is there something supernatural at play? And what does this have to do with Morgan’s disappearance?"

I found Luke Dumas' previous release, A History of Fear, really interesting and written in a very detail and thoughtful way, so I'm looking forward to reading something new from him–especially with a premise as interesting as this! I love history, I love museums, and I love a madman. Can't wait to check this one out!