by Peter Straub
First published 2004
Wealthy middle-aged women are being murdered one by one in an exclusive Connecticut suburb. The killer walks free. Nora Chancel watches the body count rise and wonders if she will be next. Her husband Davey owns Chancel House publishing. He tells her a bizarre tale about the Hellfire Club, where he once encountered a disturbed fan of their bestselling novel Night Journey. The book carries its own dark secrets. Terror closes in around Nora. She faces wild accusations while a killer stalks her. When he finally strikes, Nora must survive a deadly night that will either end her fears forever or end her life. Her past has marked her as prey, but she refuses to die quietly.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Connecticut
Period: 20th-century
485 pages · Kindle Edition · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: murder, violence