Publishers Weekly
04/06/2020
English professor June Moody, the narrator of this slow-burning psychological thriller from Gehrman (Watch Me), reluctantly decides to attend a weekend baby shower with four college friends—Em, Amy, Kimiko, and Sadie MacTavish—at Sadie’s opulent estate in Washington’s San Juan Islands. June is jealous of Sadie’s success as the author of a bestselling children’s book. Sadie resents that her husband proposed to her only after June turned him down. The first night at the main house, June, Em, Amy, and Kimiko all black out after being drugged. The next morning, they wake up to discover a mess of strewn clothes, scattered jewelry, and half-eaten meals around the house. The four women become distraught when they can’t find Sadie, and it becomes clear every one of them has a motive to want her dead. The drawn-out plot builds to a predictable ending. Gehrman does a good job delineating the women’s individual characters, but they’re basically stereotypes. Even those with a taste for tales about devious educated women may want to take a pass. Agent: Jill Mar, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. (June)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Girls Weekend:
“A brooding meditation on how friendships buckle when we resent other people’s success.”
—The Washington Post
“Gehrman does a good job delineating the women’s individual characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Gehrman's writing style and characters...[are]nuanced and had a depth to them...I highly recommend this."
—Seattle Book Review
“A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility.”
—Red Carpet Crash
"[An] exhilarating, atmospheric thriller exploring the darker side of friendship...dazzling prose and an eerily beautiful setting."
—Megan Collins, author of The Winter Sister
"A pulse-pounding thriller...you won’t be be able to set it down."
—Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of The Two Lila Bennetts
"A captivating who-done-it and a tour de force thriller...Simply unputdownable."
—Paula Treick DeBoard, critically acclaimed author of Here We Lie and The Drowning Girls
"A heart-pounding thriller that will have you guessing until the very end! Gehrman's taut who-dunnit, The Girls Weekend, pulses with fear, suspicion, and the disturbing question of how well we really know each other. Not to be missed."
—Elle Marr, author of The Missing Sister
“Gehrman does a good job delineating the women’s individual characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
