A young woman searching for her missing sister in 1930s California is drawn into a dark and dangerous cult in this intoxicating binge of sacrifice and obsession, strange rituals, alluring promises, and a beautiful prison for readers of Emma Clines The Girls, California Golden by Melanie Benjamin, and The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd. nBorn a year apart, May and June Anderson were once as close as twins. Time and a loveless marriage changed the once vibrant May into Junes timid counterpart. Now, two years after June abruptly disappeared, May receives a letter from her sister, inviting her to visit a mysterious colony in southern California. Eager to match Junes boldness for once, May doesnt hesitate. n nThe Colony is located in a magnificent Spanish Revival-style mansion perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, and is presided over by the groups charismatic leader, Rex. Colony members believe in an afterlife where departed souls mingle, and that the truly enlightened can even summon back the spirits of lost loved ones. May is told that June has recently left on a mission, and shes intrigued enough to accept Rexs invitation to stay until her sisters return. n nDrawn deeper into the group, and under Rexs seductive spell, May undergoes their initiation ceremony. Yet her questions grow more urgent with Junes continued absence--and the warnings of a presumptuous but charming undercover investigator. May has longed for the daring, adventurous life her sister pursued, but her arrival has sparked a dangerous unraveling within the Colony, where nothing and no one is quite as it seems. n nGripping and atmospheric, The Colony of Lost Souls immerses readers in a world of secrets, deception, and unexpected redemption.n