07/08/2024
The diverting latest from the Brown twins (after Perfect Little Lives) centers on a group of college friends united by the decade-old murder of their sorority sister, Lupé. Therapist Priscilla, who has a beautiful home and a beautiful husband in Northern California, can hardly wait to host the 10-year reunion for her Acadia University Zeta Phi Zeta sisters, few of whom have kept in touch since graduation. The impending reunion coincides with the premature release from prison of their classmate Travis Wolfe, who was convicted of Lupé’s murder thanks to the sisters’ testimony. Hoping to numb her feelings about Travis, who’s being let off on a technicality, Priscilla knocks back one too many drinks at the party. She wakes up the next morning with a bump on her head and little memory of the festivities. The next evening, Priscilla learns that Zoë, one of her guests, has not returned home, leading the sisters to speculate that Travis might be out for revenge. Soon, more members of their circle vanish. The Browns toggle between Priscilla’s POV and transcripts from Travis’s trial, cleverly using the past to shed light on the present. It’s an intriguing puzzle. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Sept.)