I put the idea to the back of my mind where it brewed until I finished the novel I was writing. So I guess the decision was made while I was in the middle of writing another book. Of course, he wasn’t-I promise-but it did strike me as an excellent idea for a novel. The footage was mainly of coroners’ vans and police cordons (no bodies), but when I mentioned the video to my husband, his response was “Good grief, I hope Leo’s not killing people just so he can send you research.” Hmmm. And so, to this end, he sent me a video file of a crime scene-a murder that had taken place a couple of blocks from where he was staying. He would send me not only information but pictures and maps and footage of things he thought might enhance the sense of place in my story. Now my friend (let’s call him Leo) is a very earnest and thorough researcher. We’d exchange emails, and he’d do the legwork whenever I needed to research anything to do with location. I live in Australia, and so, to ensure I wrote the details of place correctly, I enlisted the help of a friend of mine-also a novelist and, importantly, an American who was in the U.S. I was writing another novel, to be honest, when the frame of this one was conceived. The subplot contained in the emails from Leo is chilling, and it adds another layer of fiction to Freddie’s story. The book is a treat for readers who love books about books and who like their mysteries to keep them guessing until the very last page.” -Eva Jurczyk, author of The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections “The library setting, the conceit of four strangers at a table, and the twisty story-within-a-story make Gentill’s novel unputdownable. You will feel a rising sense of dread as you read it, but you won’t want to stop.” -Daniel O’Malley, author of The Rook

“A delicious read… Cunningly crafted, with layers that fold back and feed upon each other, charming characters, and revelations that will make you cringe and gasp. Sulari Gentill has done it again.” -Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author Clever plot twists in Gentill’s signature refined style will make you feel smarter just by reading. “A sophisticated mystery with more layers than an onion, created by a master hand.

As Gentill’s characters grow, the desire to know more about each ensnares us, and the only way out is to read to the end.” - New York Journal of Books A SheReads Book Club Pick for Summer 2022Ī POPSUGAR Must Read Thriller and Mystery in 2022 pickĪ Book Riot 15 Best New Mysteries of 2022

Sulari gentill the woman in the library