A dark and daring debut thriller exploring power, control and resilience against all odds, The Tribes tells the story of a cult member accused of a shocking crime and the lawyer who chooses to defend her.
One quiet night in a rural Vermont town, a panicked woman calls 9-1-1 on a gas station payphone to report that a newborn baby has died. Local police respond to the call and charge Heather Garner, a college drop-out and member of fringe religious community The Messiah's Tribes, with the murder of her infant son. Heather's future is in the hands of her family: but they haven't seen or heard from her in almost 20 years.
Lawyer Abby Harris's friends and colleagues are puzzled by her choice to take on the case, especially given she's pregnant with her first child. But Abby is convinced that there's more to Heather's story than meets the eye. The investigation leads her to understand that the community Heather belonged to may not be a peaceful, eccentric bunch of hippies, but a well-organized, exploitative criminal enterprise.
Engrossing and suspenseful, The Tribes reveals the mystery of Heather's past piece by terrifying piece, until a jury must decide: Is Heather a victim, like her child, or is the dead-eyed woman a willing participant in the cult's agenda? "Fans of Chris Bohjalian and Liane Moriarty will love The Tribes by Mari Howes for its sharp wit, psychological acuity, and breath-stealing tension. Why a young woman joins a cult, how she escapes, and what drives her to do the worst thing a mother can imagine: these questions and how a mom-to-be lawyer confronts them will keep you up all night until every last page is turned." - Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family
"Harrowing and addictive, The Tribes delves into the vulnerability of youth and the insidiousness of cult indoctrination. With a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, The Tribes is not to be missed!" - Wendy Walker, bestselling author of Blade Mari Howes is a lawyer, consultant, and graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Rhode Island. She lives in New England with her family, and is working on her next novel.
