What is S. M. Thayer reading?

Featured at Writers Read: S. M. Thayer, author of I Will Never Leave You.

His entry begins:

The Fall Guy, by James Lasdun

This was the third time I’ve read the novel since it was published in 2016. For me, it’s that rare breed of novel that works both as intelligent literary fiction and an honest-to-goodness page-turning psychological thriller. I just finished writing the first draft of a new novel so, before going to work on revisions, I wanted to dive into something that could show me yet again what I should be aiming for. Lasdun’s prose, imagery, dialogue, pacing, and his sense of time and place, are impeccable. Like many (every?) good psychological thriller, envy and illicit love propel The Fall Guy’s plot, but I’m equally drawn to Lasdun’s exploration on...[read on]

About I Will Never Leave You, from the publisher:

For one couple, getting what they want comes at a devastating price in this gripping debut thriller.

Banking heiress Trish and her husband, James, seem to have it all, from a lavish lifestyle to a historic mansion in the nation’s capital. The only thing that’s missing to make their family complete is a baby, so when Trish holds Anne Elise in her arms for the first time, it’s no surprise that she falls deeply in love. There’s just one problem: Trish isn’t the mother.

The baby belongs to Laurel, James’s young mistress. And more than that, James and Laurel want to start a new life together—despite an ironclad prenup standing in their way. When Trish becomes dangerously obsessed with making Laurel’s baby her own, the lovers’ plan to break James’s marriage quickly goes awry. How far is each of them willing to go for happiness?

Visit S. M. Thayer's website.

The Page 69 Test: I Will Never Leave You.

Writers Read: S. M. Thayer.

--Marshal Zeringue