by Todd Ritter
First published 2019
Jules needs money badly when she accepts an apartment-sitting position in an exclusive Manhattan high-rise. The pay is generous, but the restrictions are severe: she cannot have visitors, and she cannot spend nights elsewhere. Alone in the opulent building, Jules discovers that another apartment-sitter vanished without explanation. She begins digging into the woman's disappearance, but her investigation draws unwanted attention from powerful residents who will protect their secrets at any cost. As Jules uncovers the building's hidden corruption, she realizes the wealthy elite view people like her as disposable. The deeper she probes, the more dangerous her situation becomes. This thriller exposes how desperation makes the poor vulnerable to exploitation by the rich, and how money can buy silence about even the darkest crimes.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation, secrets
Setting: Manhattan, New York
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Dutton