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Coming Soon

An Erotic Tragedy in Four Voices

The River

The crossing takes eight minutes. The consequences take everything.

The River by Samuel M. Gray — book cover

About This Story

A fjord with no ferry. A boyfriend on the other side. And one man with a boat — who names his price with a smile.

Anna would do anything to cross the water and reach the man she loves. When Carl offers her the crossing in exchange for one night, she says no. Of course she says no.

But longing is a current. It only pulls one way.

What follows is a bargain that feels almost logical in the dark — one night, one transaction, no lies — and a stolen weekend of happiness bought at a price no one gets to keep secret in a village this small. Because sound carries four times farther in water. And every truth sunk in silence keeps moving toward land.

The River is a standalone erotic tragedy about love, loyalty, and the terrible mathematics of desire — told through four voices, and ending with a question you’ll be arguing about long after the last page: who was the worst?

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FM dark psychological deception slow burn

Meet the Characters

Four people. One fjord. Every crossing has a price.

Anna — The River by Samuel M. Gray

Anna

The one who pays

Twenty-two, with eyes that give away everything she tries to hide. Anna believes love justifies almost anything. The river is about to ask her to define almost.

Liam — The River by Samuel M. Gray

Liam

The one who waits

Warm-eyed and steady, counting down to Christmas on his side of the water. His love is absolute — and so are his rules. He learned young what happens when someone breaks them.

Carl — The River by Samuel M. Gray

Carl

The ferryman

Sun-bleached hair, eyes that shift like the fjord before bad weather. He believes every transaction should be honest — and that most people pay with lies. He owns the only boat. He knows what that's worth.

Frank — The River by Samuel M. Gray

Frank

The messenger

The best friend since kindergarten. Once, everyone knew a truth about his life — and nobody told him. He swore he'd never become one of the silent ones. That oath is about to cost him everything.

Ingrid — The River by Samuel M. Gray

Ingrid

The witness

Anna's roommate — a knitter from the north who believes everyone has a price, and that people who claim otherwise haven't seen the bill yet. She notices more than she says.

The World of The River

Two shores. No ferry. Eight minutes by boat — if you can pay for the crossing.

Map of the fjord in The River — the school, the harbour, Carl's house, Liam's house and Frank's house on opposite shores

The folk high school, the harbour and Carl's house on the west shore — Liam and Frank across the water. In winter, the fjord is the only road there is.

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More from Samuel M. Gray:

Shadow Play — book cover Shadow Play The Guest — book cover The Guest MAD — book cover MAD