by Kem Nunn
First published 2016
Dr. Eldon Chance's life is falling apart when Jaclyn Blackstone enters his office. She's married to Raymond, a violent Oakland homicide detective, and suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Her alter ego Jackie Black is seductive and unpredictable. Despite his professional training, Chance becomes sexually involved with his patient, unable to distinguish between Jaclyn and Jackie. The affair draws him into Raymond's dangerous orbit. Chance also encounters D, a street philosopher who specializes in knife work. As secrets emerge and obsessions intensify, Chance's carefully structured existence crumbles. Set against San Francisco's foggy backdrop, this psychological thriller follows a neuropsychiatrist who must finally live up to his surname. The story explores fractured identities, sexual obsession, and the violence lurking beneath California's surface. Chance faces a choice between safety and surrender to forces beyond his control.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fractured-identity, unreliable-narrator
Setting: California, Oakland, San Francisco
Period: Contemporary
336 pages · Paperback · Scribner
Content warnings: mental-illness, sexual-content, violence