Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars (release date June 2, 2026)

I loved the feminine rage and girlpower in this book. It’s a twist on Psycho where Marion fights back and Norman ends up dead in the bathroom. That’s just the beginning of Marion’s journey as she tries to help her sister who’s in an abusive relationship. I loved the bond the sisters had and loved women protecting women.

Marion (not her real name) stole money from the Manhattan ad agency where she works to help her sister escape an abusive marriage. The bus she’s on breaks down before she can make it to her sister’s house. It’s late and the only place with vacancies is an old set of cabins on the outskirts of town. She pays cash and chats with the innkeeper Norm. He’s young, handsome and charming and says he takes care of his ill mother. While she’s in the shower the curtain is pulled back and there’s Norm with a knife. She fights back and Norm ends up dead. Things spiral from there and more bodies end up in Marion’s wake.

This story will capture your attention and you won’t want to stop reading. I listened to the audio and I was obsessed with it. The narrators did such a great job building suspense and tension in the story. You can hear the fear, rage, uncertainty, stress, paranoia, and scheming in the narrators voices. I really liked the detective’s storyline and how she refused to believe the theories of her lazy male colleagues.

The book has plenty of twists and “oh no she didn’t” moments. As Marion falls deeper and deeper in the hole she’s made, she becomes more paranoid and suspicious. She sees danger everywhere. Her thinking is muddled and bad choices are made.

I’m not a huge fans of “re-tellings”, but the author does it right here. You will invest in the story and won’t want to stop reading.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of this book from Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.