First published 1992
Suzanne Maretto appears to have everything figured out. The attractive newlywed projects success and respectability in her middle-class life. But beneath this carefully constructed image, Suzanne harbors disturbing secrets. She feeds on violent heavy metal music and finds ways to manipulate teenagers both sexually and psychologically. Her twisted desires don't stop there. Murder enters her thoughts, then her plans. As Suzanne's facade begins to crack, the gap between her public persona and private darkness widens. The perfect wife and the predator within cannot coexist forever. Maynard exposes the chilling reality of someone who uses charm and social position to mask truly dangerous impulses. This is a story about the terrifying potential that can lurk behind the most convincing masks of normalcy.
Genres: fiction, suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: dark-protagonist, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Dutton
Content warnings: abuse, murder, sexual-content, violence