cover image Shame on You

Shame on You

Amy Heydenrych. Twenty7 (IPG, dist.), $14.95 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-78577-094-4

London food blogger Holly Evans, the heroine of Heydenrych’s suspenseful debut, has developed a large internet following with her story of how she beat cancer by adopting a raw, vegan diet. One evening, she meets a handsome stranger who introduces himself as Jack and says he’s a surgeon. The two have a pleasant dinner, but afterward, in an alley, Jack slices her face with a scalpel and whispers, “Holly Evans you’re a fucking fraud.” Jack, who’s really physician Tyler Ward, later visits the sleeping Holly in the hospital where she’s being treated for her wounds, claiming to be her boyfriend. Tyler, who knows the dark secret she’s been hiding, has motive to hate her and sets out to destroy her reputation. His campaign drives Holly into hiding, but she stages a comeback. The tension rises as it becomes clear that Tyler has some dark secrets of his own. Heydenrych combines subtle commentary about today’s need for instant internet fame with a page-turning thriller. (Apr.)