First published 2006
Robert Pendleton stands at the edge of despair. The professor's literary career lies in ruins, his tenure hangs by a thread, and suicide feels like his only escape. Graduate student Adi Wiltshire stops him at the crucial moment, saving his life but not his spirit. While Pendleton recovers, Adi explores his basement and uncovers a hidden novel. The manuscript tells a dark story of child murder, written with startling skill and autobiographical detail. Adi pushes for publication of Scream, and the book explodes into the literary world. Critics hail it as brilliant work, finally bringing Pendleton the recognition he craved. But success arrives when he cannot enjoy it. Then readers notice something troubling. The fictional murder in Pendleton's book mirrors an actual unsolved killing in their town. The similarities are too precise to ignore. Detective Jon Ryder enters the case, bringing years of experience and a methodical approach. As he investigates, the line between fiction and reality blurs, and the hunt for a killer begins in earnest.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, mystery, crime, detective, academic
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
320 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury USA
Content warnings: death, murder