Not everyone who grows up on the island of St. Virgil has the privilege to leave and attend university. Gabriel Pierre is a notable exception.

Doesn’t hurt that he’s the son of the late Donovan Pierre, the wealthiest man to ever settle on St. Virgil, and Muriel Pierre, the woman who took control of Donovan’s company, Virgil Enterprises, and led it to new heights.

But no, it was Gabriel’s talent as a writer and relentless passion for journalism that landed him an acceptance letter from a prestigious university abroad. The perfect opportunity to move on and carve a path forward in the wake of the tragic passing of his father.

Not that everyone who eventually leaves the island of St. Virgil can make a clean break, however. Maybe in a different life, Gabriel would have been able to attend university alongside his childhood love, Selina DaSilva.

However, the Pierre family weren’t the only ones to suffer a devastating loss in recent years. Selina and Gabriel had long planned to leave St. Virgil after their high school graduation and start a new life in a place where they had no past. But after her parents were brutally attacked by a home invader, Selina could no longer think about her future long-term. So long as Selina’s mother remains in a coma, she’s not leaving the island anytime soon.

Saying goodbye to the past is never easy. Yet, after a series of tragic losses, including a heartrending breakup with Selina, the future opened wide with infinite possibilities to start anew.

Unfortunately, not everyone who leaves St. Virgil can stay away for long. And sometimes, the world outside the island proves to be even more hostile and dangerous than a fresh-faced 18-year-old could ever imagine . . .

Soon after he left the island, Gabriel learned the hard way that terrible things can happen anywhere at any time. In the ten months since Gabriel has left the island, he’s accumulated even more unspeakable trauma than he, his family, or Selina could have anticipated.

But Gabriel hasn’t slowed down. He’s still in university pursuing a degree in journalism. And if he must return to St. Virgil for a few weeks in between semesters, then the internship at the local newspaper should at least keep him focused. And the small apartment he’s renting above a bar would be far more preferable than moving back in with his mom and sister, Janice. Especially considering the identity of their most recent house guest . . .

But not everyone who returns to St. Virgil finds things exactly how they left them. Not when your family seems to be withholding certain information from you. Not when an unexpected reunion with your first love is somehow even more awkward than either of you could have anticipated. And certainly not when a mysterious series of murders are being reported across the island.

At least Gabriel now has an important story to chase while he’s back on St. Virgil. These strange and brutal killings offer many questions. Most pertinent of all: Why is Selina in possession of the most recent murder victim’s phone and wallet?

Uncover the mysteries for yourself when Rick Riordan Presents: It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass goes on sale 5/14.