What happens when the one place you should be safe - your home, and, by extension, your relationships with the people you welcome into it - becomes dangerous? The ever-growing domestic suspense genre is proof positive of the perennial appeal of novels examining this exact question. Perhaps the strongest (and most inventive!) example of this particular vein of suspense that I’ve read recently can be found in Lucy Atkins’ deliciously chilling psychological thriller THE NIGHT VISITOR, which releases in the US today (7/3/18). In keeping with one of the central characters of her superb thriller, Lucy Atkins is stopping by Crime by the Book today to share her picks for Fiction’s Top Five Twisted Housekeepers & Nannies! If you’re in the market for a chilling story of should-be "safe" relationships gone very wrong, listen up: Lucy has the reading list for you. Read on for Lucy's picks, and to learn more about her superb new release.
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CBTB's Recommended January Releases
One of my 2018 goals for Crime by the Book is to find new and even better ways to connect you with crime books that will be exactly what you’re looking for. To serve this purpose, I’m testing out a new blog feature today - a monthly list of “Recommended New Releases”! I’ll always use my blog to write full reviews of the crime books I’m reading - but this list will help you get a quick overview of the new CBTB-recommended crime fiction releasing each month, and will provide links to my full reviews (and any relevant Author Q&A’s or “extras”) for each book.
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Book Review: THE PERFECT NANNY by Leila Slimani
Never will I ever pass up the chance to explore new international crime fiction, so when I heard of French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani’s award-winning crime novel THE PERFECT NANNY (on sale 1/9/18), I knew I had to give it a shot -- and I’m so glad I did. This subtle, sophisticated suspense story is unnerving in its simplicity: THE PERFECT NANNY traces the events leading up to the death of two children, focusing on the integration of a new nanny into a family. It’s easy to see why Slimani’s novel won the Goncourt Prize (France’s most prestigious literary award); this book’s elegant prose, sharp plotting, and masterful blend of suspense and literary fiction combine to deliver an outstanding crime novel that will appeal to readers looking for an understated - yet distinctly sinister - story of suspense.
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