cover image All the Wrong Places

All the Wrong Places

Joy Fielding. Ballantine, $27 (368p) ISBN 978-0-399-18155-9

In this near-miss of a thriller from bestseller Fielding (The Bad Daughter), 33-year-old Bostonian Paige Hamilton needs a shot of validation. Recently fired from her advertising job due to a merger, and betrayed by a cheating boyfriend with her look-alike cousin, Heather, no less—she decides to try online dating. She even recommends an online dating app to her widowed mother, Joan, who might benefit from an internet-generated social life. Meanwhile, Paige’s BFF Chloe turns to the app after an anonymous phone call suggests that her husband might have his own dating profile. Paige, Joan, and Chloe each come into contact with a handsome, smooth-talking serial murderer, Mr. Right Now, without raising much tension. Only toward the end, when Heather decides to impersonate Paige on a date with the killer, is there any real suspense. Occasional chapters in the voice of Mr. Right Now, though grim, feel diluted and fall short of carrying the necessary threat of looming jeopardy. Fielding’s fans will hope for better next time. Agent: Tracy Fisher, WME Entertainment. (Mar.)