A true-life scientific adventure story, this thrilling book takes the reader deep into South African caves to discover fossil remains that compel a monumental reframing of the human family tree. In the summer of 2022, Lee Berger lost 50 pounds in order to wriggle though impossibly small openings in the Rising Star cave complex in South Africa—spaces where his team has been unearthing the remains of Homo naledi , a proto-human likely to have coexisted with Homo sapiens some 250,000 years ago. The lead researcher on the site, still Berger had never made his way into the dark, cramped, dangerous underground spaces where many of the naledi fossils had been found. Now he was ready to do so. Once inside the cave, Berger made shocking new discoveries that expand our understanding of this early hominid—discoveries that stand to alter our fundamental understanding of what makes us human. So what does it all mean? Join Berger on the adventure of a lifetime as he explores the Rising Star cave system and begins the complicated process of explaining these extraordinary finds—finds that force a rethinking of human evolution, and discoveries that Berger calls "the Rosetta stone of the human mind."

When successful executive Audrey visits her old friend Jessica at a dating advice retreat run by their estranged friend-turned-#tradwife influencer McKinley, she can't help but feel something is off, especially since they won't let her see Jessica until the retreat is over.A Gripping Psychological Thriller Novella with Unputdownable TwistsAudrey thought a weekend escape to her childhood friend McKinley’s viral wellness farm would mean organic smoothies, sunset selfies, and women empowering women style inspiration. Instead, she arrives to find McKinley crawling across the kitchen floor at 3 AM, hands raw and bleeding, chanting about being the “perfect modern wife.” As Audrey peels back the farm’s picture-perfect facade, she uncovers an insidious plot that threatens to trap every woman in its web of mind-bending rituals, sinister “treatments,” and cult-like devotion. High-octane domestic suspense novella Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Housemaid Packed with jaw-dropping twists and relentless tension A single-sitting, can’t-put-it-down read "Kristen Van Nest’s novel is DON’T WORRY DARLING meets BLINK TWICE meets …. what could be the not so far off future under our current administration. The author offers smart commentary on ‘wellness’ retreats and the rise of trad wife culture. [...] She’s back with a bang, one-liners that belong in a funny horror like BODIES BODIES BODIES, and a much-needed reality check.” — Laura Donovan, Business Insider Writer + AuthorGrab your copy of Perfect Modern Wife now and discover why readers call it “addictive,” “unputdownable,” and “a jaw-dropping ride" from page one.About the AuthorKristen Van Nest is the acclaimed author of the comedic travel memoir Where to Nest and a viral comedian whose sharp wit and global adventures inform her work. Growing up in the Connecticut suburb where The Stepford Wives was filmed, she witnessed firsthand the pressures of domestic conformity—a perspective further sharpened when her high-school homecoming king married a top #tradwife farm-living influencer, both experiences fueling the dark domestic suspense of Perfect Modern Wife. With a career spanning New York City marketing, a Fulbright Scholarship in Luxembourg, and years working in the wine industry in China, Van Nest brings an unputdownable twist and laugh-out-loud characters to every psychological thriller she writes.