Until the Last Light Goes Out

Some places never let go of their secrets. In Until the Last Light Goes Out, Courtney Gould creates an unsettling world where an unexplained tragedy, a missing teenager, and a seemingly abandoned resort become part of a terrifying mystery. Twenty-five years earlier, the graduating class of Ripley Memorial High School entered the luxurious Kaleidoscope Key resort in the Florida Keys. By the following morning, almost all 183 students were dead. Only five people survived, and none of them ever explained what happened that night. The incident became a haunting mystery that shaped the lives of the survivors and their families. Paige Keller, the daughter of one of those survivors, has spent years trying to distance herself from the tragedy. She wants a future beyond the resort's dark history, unlike her former best friend, KJ, who remains fascinated by the massacre. But when Paige returns home on its twenty-fifth anniversary, she discovers that KJ has disappeared. Convinced that KJ has gone to the abandoned Kaleidoscope Key, Paige joins the children of the original survivors and ventures into the place everyone else fears. What begins as a search for a missing friend becomes a confrontation with buried family secrets and something far more dangerous than an unsolved historical mystery. The novel explores inherited trauma, friendship, identity, grief, love, and the consequences of keeping painful truths hidden. Its atmosphere combines supernatural horror with emotional storytelling and a mystery that connects two generations. This book is suitable for young adult readers and adults who enjoy gothic horror, paranormal mysteries, eerie settings, LGBTQ+ themes, and stories featuring complex friendships. Readers should review the author's content warnings before reading.