by Ivy Pochoda
First published 2023
Florence "Florida" Baum walks out of Arizona women's prison claiming innocence, but her former cellmate Diosmary Sandoval knows better. Dios sees through Florida's victim act to the darkness underneath. She believes Florida committed her crimes willingly, not as some unlucky bystander manipulated by a bad man. When both women gain unexpected freedom, Dios becomes obsessed with forcing Florida to accept her true nature. What starts as psychological manipulation turns into a lethal pursuit from Arizona's desert to Los Angeles streets. Florida runs while Dios hunts, each woman driven by her own version of the truth. Their cat and mouse game builds toward a violent confrontation that will destroy them both. This feminist Western thriller explores how women carry darkness the world refuses to acknowledge.
Genres: feminist-theory, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Arizona, Los Angeles
Period: 21st-century
290 pages · Kindle Edition · MCD
Content warnings: violence