Marion

Rowan (The Last Room on the Left, written as Leah Konen) delivers a fiendishly clever feminist remix of Psycho. Marion Crane is staying at the Billings Motel on the outskirts of New Paltz, N.Y., after her bus broke down and every other hotel room in the area was booked. The dilapidated motel is run by a handsome young man named Norm Billings, who owns it alongside his ailing mother. When Norm invites Marion to dinner, they share a lovely evening—until Marion returns to her room, and Norm tries to kill her in the shower. But Marion isn’t who or what she seems, and Norm isn’t prepared for what happens next. Neither is Marion, exactly, and when she fights off Norm, she creates a major problem for herself. It turns out to be one among many, as Marion is already being pursued by her boss for stealing money from her Manhattan ad agency, and is attempting to liberate her sister from an abusive marriage. Rowan’s bold take on Hitchcock’s classic benefits from wicked humor, a well-rounded heroine fueled by righteous anger, and a breakneck pace. Readers will want to check in to the Billings for a long stay. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (June)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misdescribed the book as the author’s debut.