Starred review from November 15, 2021
Lyla Herschel, the principal narrator of this fiendish psychological thriller from Brazier (If I Disappear), suffers from boredom, as does her super wealthy husband, Graham, with whom she lives in a grand house perched on a cliff in the Hollywood Hills. To alleviate their mutual emotional ennui, the couple initiate a dangerous game with the well-to-do tenants they solicit for the guesthouse on their property. Meanwhile, Demi Golding, who’s homeless, stumbles into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take on the identity of a well-paid director of a tech company. Lyla is happy to accept Demi when she applies to be their new tenant, and she soon becomes unwittingly engaged in Lyla and Graham’s nefarious schemes. Brazier plays delicious homage to Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” and Nathaniel West’s The Day of the Locust as the action builds to a climactic out-of-control 30th birthday party that involves guests in a battle of “simunition” (“Real guns but fake ammunition”). Along the way, the two women—one trapped in a dead-end marriage, the other in an audacious attempt to improve her social status—bond. Readers with a taste for the idiosyncratic and the macabre will find much to relish. Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary.
June 1, 2022
The rich people in this psychological thriller are fiends. Lyla and Graham invite self-made individuals to live in their guest house free of charge. The unsuspecting tenants do not know that they are part of a vicious game in which the goal is to destroy lives and make people feel worthless. There are no consequences for fabulously wealthy Lyla and Graham until a person without housing assumes the identity of their newest tenant, moves into the guesthouse, and plays a dangerous role in the game. Greed and avarice move the twisted plot along until the chilling conclusion. Karissa Vacker and Sophie Amoss do an excellent job narrating the book. Subtle changes in their tone and voice build tension and expose the emotions and inner thoughts of the characters. VERDICT Listeners who like ghoulish characters and plots will enjoy Brazier's (If I Disappear) sophomore novel.--Ilka Gordon
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