'It is a long time since I have read a debut as impressive as Laura McHugh's The Weight of Blood. It is a chilling portrait of a small town in the Ozarks where violent men are protected and young women vanish.' Joan Smith, The Sunday Times People still whisper about Lucy Dane's mother who vanished years ago from the town of Henbane, deep in the Ozark mountains.When one of Lucy's friends is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost women: by the mother she never knew, and the friend she couldn't protect.But her search for answers, in a place where secrets are easily concealed, leads her to a chilling discovery.And with this revelation, she must grapple with the meaning of family, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love.