Her entry begins:
I just finished reading All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby—a police procedural mystery set in rural Virginia. This novel had two exceptionally strong elements: its main character, Sherrif Titus Crown, and the atmosphere of the town itself. In certain ways it reminded me of another recent read, The Searcher by Tana French, which also had a small town setting—Ireland, in this case—and a compelling detective who embodied integrity. Both of these mysteries really benefitted from their locations, where the history and communities contributed a very visceral element, making both novels feel...[read on]About Dear Hanna, from the publisher:
Zoje Stage delivers another knockout with a blood-chilling follow-up to international sensation Baby Teeth, taking readers back into the unsteady world of a young sociopath who’s all grown up.Visit Zoje Stage's website.
Hanna is no stranger to dark thoughts: as a young child, she tried to murder her own mother. But that was more than sixteen years ago.And extensive therapy―and writing letters to her younger brother―has since curbed those nasty tendencies.
Now twenty-four, Hanna is living an outwardly normal life of domestic content. Married to real estate agent Jacob, she’s also stepmother to his teenage daughter Joelle. They live in a beautiful home, and Hanna loves her career as a phlebotomist―a job perfectly suited to her occasional need to hurt people.
But when Joelle begins to change in ways that don’t suit Hanna’s purposes, her carefully planned existence threatens to come apart. With life slipping out of her control, Hanna reverts to old habits, determined to manipulate the events and people around her. And the only thing worse than a baby sociopath is a fully grown one.
With its dark humor and chillingly seductive protagonist, Dear Hanna is a standalone sequel sure to thrill returning and new readers alike.
Writers Read: Zoje Stage (July 2018).
Q&A with Zoje Stage.
Writers Read: Zoje Stage.
--Marshal Zeringue