SERVED HIM RIGHT

Breaking up isn’t just hard to do—it can be fatal.

The Blacksmith sisters have very different personalities—perfectionist Vera and chaos agent Ana often clash. But they’re bound by tragedy, having been orphaned after their mother was convicted of murdering their father, then died in prison herself. Vera and Ana were raised by their aunt, Agnes, a florist who also made traditional potions and teas for cramps, hot flashes, and other female ailments. She led The Cove, a group of similarly interested women, and hoped one of the sisters would eventually take over its leadership. But by the time this novel begins, Agnes is long gone and Vera and Ana have moved on. Ana hops from job to job and man to man while Vera is laser focused on her businessman husband, Brad Kline, and their teenage kids, fierce Coraline and goofball Grant, all of whom she tracks with digital devices. The sisters’ past comes back into play, though, when Vera hosts a brunch “ex-orcism” to celebrate Ana’s breakup with her latest bad boyfriend, Paul Hayes. He owns a high-powered advertising firm and has a rumored tendency to sexually harass his employees (or worse). Amid the mimosas, a police detective arrives looking for Ana, to let her know Paul’s body has been found in a shallow grave in a remote park. Things go from bad to worse when a guest, Ana’s college bestie Iggy Caine, who recently gave birth to her first child, faints. Though she recovers quickly, she soon falls ill and is hospitalized in a coma as her adoring husband, Brock (another of Ana’s exes), agonizes at her bedside. And one other thing—Ana had previously met the detective, Timothy Bandeau, via a sex-with-no-strings app called HookUp, but neither of them is talking. It seems everyone who knew Paul has reason to want him dead, but it’s hard to imagine who would harm sweet, guileless Iggy. As the intricate links between the crimes become clear, Unger keeps the suspense in high gear, skillfully swinging among several vividly portrayed first-person narrators.

Sisterhood is powerful in surprising ways in this twisty, satisfying thriller.