Compelling characters stop at nothing to achieve their ends in this very contemporary thriller.
In Manning’s novel, a mother seeks revenge on those she blames for her daughter’s death.
Patricia is a middle-aged, single mother whose newlywed only daughter, Ashley, died after being denied a medically necessary abortion. Ashley’s husband, David, is suing Ashley’s doctor, the hospital, and the hospital’s lawyer, Brenda Phillips, who plans to run for office on a conservative, pro-life platform. Patricia plans a more drastic action: murder. But when she uses a stolen identity to become the Phillips family’s housekeeper, Brenda’s uncaring behavior toward her young children sparks Patricia’s motherly instincts, giving rise to conflicted feelings about her intentions. A second plotline involves Brenda’s high-school sweetheart, John Petersen, now a male-chauvinist religious fanatic who believes murder is justifiable to save the unborn. A third thread is devoted to Lisette “Lizzie” Vaughn, a private investigator (Lizzie and her assistant, Murphy Green, a Black, trans ex-cop, have their own complicated backstories), and a fourth follows Isabella Ramirez, a single mother with a heart condition who believes her unplanned second pregnancy could kill her (and whose wimpy ex-husband, Wyatt, has joined John’s group of radical anti-abortionists). The various strands converge when Isabella and her young daughter, Nina, go missing, and her friend Ethan calls Lizzie rather than go to the police (“A young woman should be sympathetic to the plight of a woman whose pregnancy could kill her”). The novel brings together a memorable cast of characters to highlight the potentially deadly consequences of “pro-life” activism as the narrative alternates between the points of view of Patricia, Lizzie, John, Isabella, Brenda, and others. Each character sees only part of the picture, resulting in multiple vectors of suspense that keep the reader hooked. Additionally, seeing each character’s actions through their own individual lenses provides a more nuanced consideration of the social and moral issues that drive their decisions and actions. Manning presents complicated heroes with dark sides and villains who, while they are less multi-dimensional, also have redeeming qualities. The portrayals of Lizzie and Murphy suggest they might be poised for further adventures.
Compelling characters stop at nothing to achieve their ends in this very contemporary thriller.Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2024
ISBN: 9781645995630
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2024
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
Trust no one in this over-the-top tale of deception and revenge.
Dead bodies turn up in the first sentence of the prologue in McFadden’s latest domestic thriller.
The mystery of who died is at the pulsating heart of this propulsive tale. As Chapter 1 begins, Naomi arrives home to find the locks changed on the front door of the gorgeous home she shares with her husband, Jeremy, and their 5-year-old son, Teddy. Jeremy steps out the front door and convinces Naomi to move out while he has their home renovated, a plan Naomi knows nothing about. It’s all a ruse, though, as the next day Jeremy tells her he wants a divorce. Naomi is shellshocked and soon discovers that Jeremy is having an affair with Veronica, a beautiful younger woman. What seems at first like a stereotypical story about a man who leaves his wife turns into something else when Naomi decides she’ll do anything to get Veronica away from Jeremy and Teddy, and Veronica decides to fight for what she thinks she deserves. Fans of stalker novels will cringe with delight as creepy things start to happen. Teddy’s stuffed elephant, a gift from Veronica, is found impaled on a kitchen knife; Naomi suspects Jeremy is gaslighting her and that Veronica tried to poison her. A weird confrontation among Jeremy, Veronica, and Naomi at Teddy’s birthday party, to which Naomi shows up uninvited, is priceless. There are three main characters, and any or all of them may be unreliable narrators. Packing the plot with dark, gasp-inducing twists, McFadden outdoes herself in a story about how highly emotional people engage in risky behavior to get what they want—but in this novel, for better or worse, not everyone will survive.
Trust no one in this over-the-top tale of deception and revenge.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249631
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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