Starred review from March 11, 2019
Jane Harris, the unreliable narrator of this exceptional psychological thriller from Rouda (Best Day Ever), has sequestered herself in her gorgeous oceanfront home in a gated community in Orange County, Calif., overcome with grief following the death of her college-age daughter, Mary, in an accident a year earlier. Appearances are important to Jane—perfect house, perfect family, perfect image of mourning. Now that she has decided to move on, Jane finds her husband, David, distant, working long hours and avoiding her while younger daughter Betsy is wrapped up in her high school graduation, which is just four days away. Against Jane’s wishes, David schedules a celebration of Mary’s life before Betsy graduates. Rouda gradually shifts reader sympathy for Jane with her “complicated grief” to disgust at her toxic need for control. Selfish and judgmental, Jane has more than just boundary issues as she monitors her family’s every move and email with the spyware she clandestinely installs. The stakes rise when Jane receives a note suggesting that Mary’s death was no accident. Suspense fans will be amply rewarded. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary.