Poison Wood: A Novel

Rita Meade, an ambitious crime reporter, receives an anonymous tip about a skull discovered in the Louisiana forest. She hesitates to pursue the story because it connects to Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls, where she attended as a teenager before the school closed following a series of disturbing incidents. The man who confessed to murdering one of Rita's classmates has now recanted his confession. Meanwhile, Rita's father—the judge who convicted him—has fallen ill. Called back to the forest where the school once stood, Rita begins investigating the mysteries surrounding the case, uncovering emotions tied to her mother's death and secrets she has long suppressed. As her investigation expands into her family history, media attention intensifies. Rita must decide how far she will go to pursue a story that could jeopardize everything and everyone she loves.