A dark, thought-provoking feminist tale.
A paranormal suspense novel in which a woman must protect herself.
After dealing with a family history of tragedy and two stays at a psychiatric hospital, Cadie finally feels safe for once in her life. That stability comes in the form of Oliver, the psychiatrist who saved her and with whom she fell in love. After getting engaged, the two move to Oliver’s historical family estate in the remote woods of Salem, a “house shielded in a forest of trees but probably not guarded from centuries of sinister vibes.” Soon unsettling, supernatural incidents start happening to her. Cadie meets a menacing woman in black with a large dog, as well as a woman in white with no mouth. Disturbing whispers flood her head. Worst of all, Oliver believes none of what she tells him. He writes off her encounters as signs of her worsening mental state and grows increasingly frustrated, even threatening to put Cadie back in the hospital. Although she wants to trust the man who’s supported her, increasingly disturbing discoveries about the house and Oliver himself force Cadie to reconsider her faith in the doctor. Interspersing Cadie’s firsthand account with the perspectives of past victims, Detwiler has constructed a compelling commentary on ways in which powerful men manipulate women, while grounding her novel in the tradition of feminist Gothic literature. Although some plot reveals border on being predictable, especially to genre veterans, Cadie’s plight is both harrowing and sympathetic. Readers may catch certain red flags early on, but Cadie has been conditioned to question her own judgment (“A monster wouldn’t be this loving, right?”). The protagonist’s gradual journey of reclaiming agency—and unearthing the stories of past women who were silenced—form the narrative’s core.
A dark, thought-provoking feminist tale.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798347029037
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
For readers who like their fun laced with skin-crawling weirdness.
A comic-strip artist loses first her cat and then, possibly, her mind.
Working with artists Horner and Staehle, as he did for Hidden Pictures (2022), Rekulak uses illustrations to support a paranormal thriller plot. Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist living in Philadelphia, has published three beloved graphic novels about her life with her cat, Popcorn, and is working on a fourth when Popcorn darts out the window during a snowstorm and disappears. When all efforts to locate him fail, Penny spirals into unproductive despair. Her live-in boyfriend, Dean Everhardt, who works in finance, insists she accompany him to a cocktail party at the Brandywine Valley estate of his most important client, Evelyn Bruehl. At the party, Penny hears mewing that at first she’s sure must be Popcorn, but which turns out to be a very different cat named Godfrey. Godfrey immediately attaches himself to Penny, and when Evelyn—who’s about to take an extended trip to Europe—asks her to cat-sit, Dean pressures her to agree. Though at first Godfrey’s presence helps Penny break through her writer’s block, she’s completely disgusted by his custom-made food, which is delivered by his equally repugnant private veterinarian. And then something very strange starts happening to her artwork, which is suddenly filled with macabre and demonic imagery she can’t remember producing. Also, she’s losing weight and something terrible is happening to her skin. At this point the plot pivots into full-on horror, with a disgusting infestation of giant beetles and revolting odors taking over Penny’s house and a horrific murder next door. Penny finds some clues about what’s happening in a biography of Evelyn Bruehl’s grandfather, illustrator Barnabas Godfrey—the cat’s namesake. The 80-plus pages of illustrations include both Penny’s comic panels and Barnabas’ 19th-century images, the latter also filled with hints of what will emerge in the dramatic, screamworthy climax.
For readers who like their fun laced with skin-crawling weirdness.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781250895875
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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