The Others

Israeli author Blau makes her English-language debut with a brashly original if plot-challenged psychological thriller. Provocative, passionate, and stubborn Israeli feminist scholar Dina Kaminer has inflamed more than her share of haters, especially as an advocate for the childfree lifestyle. But who loathed her enough to murder her, then turn the corpse into a macabre tableau, the word Mother printed across her forehead and a baby doll glued to her hand? Micha Yarden, a young police detective, questions Sheila Heller, Dina’s academic rival, who, back in college as part of Dina’s flamboyant posse, pledged to defy conventional female roles—particularly the notion of motherhood as civic duty—but during the two decades since turned acid-tongued frenemy. Overwrought and at times outright lying, Sheila seems a slam dunk person of interest—or maybe she’s simply terrified of becoming the next victim. The twisty, often sardonic narrative shifts neatly between the ongoing investigation and secrets of the women’s emotionally fraught past. Blau offers a revealing glimpse into a world not often seen outside her homeland. Agent: Cathryn Summerhayes, Curtis Brown (U.K.) (Apr.)