A riveting and suspenseful debut. Copelands contemporary take on the balance of power in
relationships and the desire for control is not to be missed. New York Times and #1
international bestselling author Karin Slaughter A gifted new suspense writer makes her
sizzling debut with this serpentine tale exploring all the ways in which men enact violence on
women how women try to reclaim their own sense of self and the lingering effects on their
childrens lives. 2019. Stella Parker has the life shes always wanted: a loving husband two
happy children that she gave up her thriving law career to raise and a beautiful house in the
tony suburbs of Washington DC. But when her neighbor Gwen shows up at her door claiming to
know things about her Stellas life is thrown into turmoil and shes forced to reckon with the
dark secret upon which shes built her life. 1987. Julie Waits yearns to be a cheerleadera
gateway to a world of normalcy with best friends and sleepovers and an escape hatch from life
with her widowed mother the terrible men she attracts and the upheaval caused by their abrupt
and constant moves. But when her mother decides those relationships are over the past becomes
a forbidden subject that Julie can never revisit. As Stella probes deeper into what brought
Gwen to her door the answerand who Julie is to herbecome increasingly terrifyingly clear.
Filled with shocking twists and turns this is a book that both asks what it means for a woman
to be in control of her life while also highlighting the impact of small daily violences upon
women and the connection between physical and psychological harm.
