A promising debut packed with malevolent neighbors, juicy scandals, and cozy friendships.
In Verheyden’s thriller, when a free-spirited woman settles in a small Canadian town, horrifying secrets soon emerge.
On the outside, Pleasant Hill in Summerfield looks picture-perfect—but behind the charming veneer lurks a nightmare. Under the oppressive scrutiny of Holly and Homer Kent, the despicable founders of the local homeowner’s association (HOA), the residents of Pleasant Hill are anxious and suspicious. And that’s just how the Kents like it: For 30 years, the Kents have enforced the meticulous upkeep of lawns and houses and rigid rules about pets, noise, decorations, and vehicles. Their tactics of intimidation—including spying, inspections, and fines—usually keep the residents in check. But when Clementine Harrison, a 52-year-old photographer recovering from a breakup with her girlfriend, moves to town with her dog, George, and converted bus “Matilda,” the Kents may have finally met their match. The gregarious Clementine quickly finds her tribe, including no-nonsense senior Marjorie Burns and Valerie Park, who is relentlessly hounded by the HOA over her rewilded yard and whose late husband (who was of Korean descent) was the target of the Kents’ racism. Together, they vow to take down the Kents and unearth shocking truths. While the author introduces a huge cast to follow, the characters are well-crafted and sharply distinguished by their unique struggles. Though the plot relies on a few improbable coincidences, and the over-emphasized “you’ve got this” attitude among the women grows tiresome, Verheyden showcases her talent as a storyteller by skillfully dropping in clues that keep readers guessing, with prose that is punchy and sometimes darkly humorous. (“Didn’t they see that all of them would benefit if they’d just go along with what she wanted?” Holly thinks. “Why would anyone settle for staying ordinary if they could become extraordinary?”) Lighter moments are sharply contrasted with a compelling critique of power dynamics and timely explorations of addiction, sexual assault, and prejudice, resulting in a tale that oscillates between uplifting and sobering.
A promising debut packed with malevolent neighbors, juicy scandals, and cozy friendships.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9798325751066
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A feisty storm of Greek tragedy headlined by three very modern women.
On the isle of Capri, Helen Lingate seeks revenge on the people responsible for her mother’s death 30 years earlier—her own family.
When Sarah Lingate fell to her death on Capri in 1992, she left behind a 3-year-old daughter, Helen, and a legacy as a gifted playwright; her favorite necklace of golden snakes was lost to the sea. Thirty years later, Helen, chafing at the restrictions she’s grown up under as a member of the old-money Lingate family, hatches a plan with her uncle Marcus’ assistant, Lorna Moreno, to blackmail her uncle and her father with that same necklace, which mysteriously entered her possession a few months before. The novel begins on Capri just after Lorna disappears, and then traces her steps from 36 hours earlier. Interweaving chapters from the points of view of Helen, Lorna, and Sarah—as well as, later, a few others—we learn how Sarah gradually became stifled by the constant pressure of keeping up appearances until she became inspired to write a play, Saltwater, that was a not-so-thinly veiled tell-all revealing dark Lingate family secrets. It was shortly after this that she fell to her death. The loss of her mother has come to define Helen’s life, and if she can use the necklace as leverage to escape her family, and maybe learn the truth along the way, she’ll take the risk. Lorna’s motives are both murkier and more straightforward—she’s never had money, and she’s got a chip on her shoulder about it, so splitting 10 million euros with Helen sounds like a way to discard her past and start fresh. These strong, conniving women drive the drama and the narrative, and they are captivating enough that as twist after twist begins to unfurl, the novel still feels character-driven. The end—well, the end shocks. And it’s well earned. By the time the sun sets on the gorgeous excess and rugged coast of Capri, lives will have been destroyed.
A feisty storm of Greek tragedy headlined by three very modern women.Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780593875551
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Gleefully sadistic, gloriously gratifying revenge fiction.
A frustrated advice columnist takes matters into her own hands.
Before dropping out of MIT during the second semester of her sophomore year, Debbie Mullen had designs on becoming the next Bill Gates. Now, almost 30 years later, the stay-at-home wife and mother of two uses her considerable genius to keep the Mullens’ Hingham, Massachusetts, household functioning “like a well-oiled machine.” In her spare time, Debbie also gardens and shares “the fruits of [her] wisdom” with neighbors via the weekly advice column she writes for Hingham Household, a local “family-oriented” newspaper. Though Debbie is proud of her husband and teen daughters’ accomplishments, her own life sometimes feels a bit empty. As such, she’s both honored and excited when Home Gardening magazine selects her backyard to feature in their next issue. Then, at the last minute, the publication decides to go in a different direction and instead spotlights the roses of her arch rival. Later that day, the editor-in-chief of Hingham Household axes her column because she’d counseled a reader to get a divorce. That evening, Debbie learns that her hard-working husband’s miserly boss refused his promotion request, her brilliant older daughter’s sketchy boyfriend broke her heart, and her athletically gifted younger daughter’s chauvinistic coach cut her from the soccer team for being “chubby.” Enough is enough. Debbie has always given great advice—everybody says so. If certain individuals don’t know what’s best for themselves, maybe it’s her obligation to help them see the light. Increasingly unhinged entries from a “Dear Debbie” drafts folder pepper the briskly paced, meticulously crafted tale, which unfolds courtesy of a pinwheeling first-person narrative. Some of the plot’s myriad twists are more impressive than others, but plucky, puckish Debbie is a nontraditional antihero for the ages.
Gleefully sadistic, gloriously gratifying revenge fiction.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249624
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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