Fashionable fiction by women about women.
Despite its title, “The Killer Next Door” by Alex Marwood centers more on the female neighbors and their dynamics than the murderer. Marwood’s follow-up to her successful debut, “The Wicked Girls,” is ostensibly about a group of traumatized women living in a rundown house. But, it also addresses dysfunctional families and mother-daughter relationships. Character Analysis…
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Can fiction both satirize and critique our fascination with the true crime industry? In “Penance” British author Eliza Clark attempts that feat with mixed results. The 29-year-old’s sophomore novel is a fictionalized account of a scandalous true crime non-fiction book detailing the horrific death of a teenage girl. Clark takes a page from Stephen King…
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The name Shirley Jackson is synonymous with psychological horror with a sense of haunting. Jackson, perhaps best known for her short story “The Lottery” and novel “The Haunting of Hill House,” authored dozens of short stories and six novels. After the success of “The Lottery” in 1948, the O. Henry Award winner became a more…
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“A Haunting on the Hill” by Elizabeth Hand walks a tightrope of expectations. As the only novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, Hand’s 2023 release needed to satisfy fans of the modern classic while being a new story in and of itself. Hand, author of 20 published works, won…
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With “The Lies I Tell,” Julia Clark once again shows she knows how to write a feminist thriller. Clark’s 2022 novel is ostensibly about professionally frustrated journalist Kat Roberts tracking down con artist Meg Williams. Kat blames Meg for a traumatic event that derailed her career. But, “The Lies I Tell” is more about how…
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