Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

When the mutilated body of a young boy is discovered in Devil's Cradle State Park, the quiet town of Lost Grove finds itself on edge. Locals blame a wild animal. The media calls it a tragedy. But Chief of Police Seth Wolfe feels an old fear stirring. Just months prior, he stood over a body marked with the same wounds that left more questions than answers.

Just outside town, a local teen stumbles on strange, twisting glyphs scorched into the trees, eerily similar to those once studied by an Indigenous academic researcher who disappeared just years earlier. Desperate for answers, she turns to a friend with family ties to the Wiyot Nation, only to be warned off: some things are better left buried.

When a local teenager goes missing, town meetings turn ugly, campers cancel in droves, and the pressure mounts with each bloodied trail. On the eve of the county fair, Seth is faced with the burden of an old case threatening to resurface and unravel his career, along with the rising dread of a community coming apart.

Because what waits in the forest isn't just an echo of the past. It's hunting again.

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Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

When the mutilated body of a young boy is discovered in Devil's Cradle State Park, the quiet town of Lost Grove finds itself on edge. Locals blame a wild animal. The media calls it a tragedy. But Chief of Police Seth Wolfe feels an old fear stirring. Just months prior, he stood over a body marked with the same wounds that left more questions than answers.

Just outside town, a local teen stumbles on strange, twisting glyphs scorched into the trees, eerily similar to those once studied by an Indigenous academic researcher who disappeared just years earlier. Desperate for answers, she turns to a friend with family ties to the Wiyot Nation, only to be warned off: some things are better left buried.

When a local teenager goes missing, town meetings turn ugly, campers cancel in droves, and the pressure mounts with each bloodied trail. On the eve of the county fair, Seth is faced with the burden of an old case threatening to resurface and unravel his career, along with the rising dread of a community coming apart.

Because what waits in the forest isn't just an echo of the past. It's hunting again.

18.99 In Stock
Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

Blood on the Trailhead: (A Lost Grove Mystery, Book 3)

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Overview

When the mutilated body of a young boy is discovered in Devil's Cradle State Park, the quiet town of Lost Grove finds itself on edge. Locals blame a wild animal. The media calls it a tragedy. But Chief of Police Seth Wolfe feels an old fear stirring. Just months prior, he stood over a body marked with the same wounds that left more questions than answers.

Just outside town, a local teen stumbles on strange, twisting glyphs scorched into the trees, eerily similar to those once studied by an Indigenous academic researcher who disappeared just years earlier. Desperate for answers, she turns to a friend with family ties to the Wiyot Nation, only to be warned off: some things are better left buried.

When a local teenager goes missing, town meetings turn ugly, campers cancel in droves, and the pressure mounts with each bloodied trail. On the eve of the county fair, Seth is faced with the burden of an old case threatening to resurface and unravel his career, along with the rising dread of a community coming apart.

Because what waits in the forest isn't just an echo of the past. It's hunting again.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798989796267
Publisher: Self
Publication date: 11/18/2025
Series: Lost Grove , #3
Pages: 442
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

CHARLOTTE ZANG writes dark fantasy, horror, and paranormal mysteries full of shadowed forests, twisted folklore, and morally gray people doing questionable things. She was raised in a small Midwest town and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her movie-savant husband and three basset hounds, who have the emotional range of Shakespearean actors and the density of small planets. 

She believes in the healing power of carbs, walking barefoot, writes like a gremlin, and deeply enjoys moody movie scores, glittering folklore, and the occasional existential baking session.

If you'd like to talk about tragic love stories, 1980s Bowie, or which dog is currently lying on her keyboard, come say hi on Instagram @charlottezang or sign up for her newsletter at charlottezang.com.

ALEX J. KNUDSEN was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attended the University of Southern California. He started writing in the third grade when he created the short story, Mr. Raquetball. He went on to write numerous unpublished short stories and a bevy of screenplays. Knudsen is the founder of Gantry Productions and is the writer-director of numerous films, including the Independent award-nominated feature film, Autopilot, and the award-nominated short horror film Consuming Beauty, which was adapted from his wife’s novel of the same name. Knudsen is a self-taught mixologist and devourer of horror films. Alex currently lives in Oregon with his wife and three Basset Hounds. His previous novels are the epic horror The Nawie and Lost Grove: Part One.
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