PREORDER - Umbilical, by David-Jack Fletcher, ebook

A doll. A presence. A body count.

Harry Byrne has already lost everything. Both his parents are dead, and the man responsible is finally facing charges. Now the only family he has left, his grandmother, Greta, no longer remembers that any of it happened.

When an anonymous gift arrives at Greta's care home—a "dementia doll," a therapeutic toy meant to soothe patients like her—it seems like exactly what she needs. Greta cradles it, sings to it, and for the first time in months, she is calm.

She also believes it's her son.

When a man is found bludgeoned to death down the hall, Greta becomes the nursing home's prime suspect. Harry knows his grandmother isn't a killer. He also knows dementia doesn't exactly explain what's happening to her...or what she's capable of when she believes her son is under threat.

The doll was supposed to bring her peace. Instead, it has convinced her that death isn't the end after all. What lengths will a mother go through to protect her child?