Read Between the Lies

Edgar winner Sutanto (Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)) pivots from cozies to psychological suspense with this wily novel about the lingering effects of bullying. In 2018, self-effacing writer Fern Huang has finally achieved her dream: her first novel, The Happiest of Unhappy Days, has been accepted by a publisher and is due to hit bookstores in 2020. To celebrate, she joins an online group for debut novelists and starts making friends, coming to believe she’s finally found an accepting community. Then Fern learns that her high school nemesis Haven Lee, who bullied her throughout their adolescence, is set to publish a novel at the same time as her, and has joined her debut novelist group. As pub day approaches, Haven starts harassing Fern again, prompting her to become obsessed with revenge. Soon, the boundaries between monster and victim blur, and Sutanto doles out key details about the pair’s teenage rivalry that recast some of the present-day action. Sutanto makes Fern easy to root for even as her morals start slipping, and she maintains a semi-playful tone even as the plot wanders into dark places. Thriller fans will be satisfied. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Feb.)