Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing is a bestselling 2018 novel by Delia Owens that blends a coming-of-age story, a murder mystery, and a celebration of nature, set in the marshes of coastal North Carolina. It follows Kya Clark, a girl abandoned by her family who raises herself in the wilderness, and intertwines her story with the investigation into the death of local celebrity Chase Andrews, whom the town suspects her of killing. The book explores themes of loneliness, survival, and prejudice, and became a major cultural phenomenon, leading to a film adaptation.