They Never Learn

July 27, 2020
In this searing psychological thriller from Fargo (Temper), vengeful Gorman University English professor Scarlett Clark poisons college quarterback (and alleged rapist) Tyler Elkin before posting a suicide note to his Instagram account. Scarlett has spent 16 years murdering predatory men and making their deaths appear accidental or self-inflicted. Experience suggests image-conscious Gorman will sweep Tyler’s demise under the rug, but instead Tyler’s star-athlete status spurs the Pennsylvania school to review past suicides looking for mitigatable risk factors. Scarlett knows she should lay low, but she needs to murder her lecherous department head before he claims the fellowship she covets. Meanwhile, timorous freshman Carly Schiller, who grew up in an abusive home, starts harboring violent thoughts about upperclassman Sebastian Waller after he assaults her roommate, Allison Hadley. Never mind the contrived setup and several characters lacking depth. Fargo shocks and entertains while delivering a scathing take-down of campus rape culture. Fans of Chelsea Cain will appreciate this fiercely feminist twist on serial killer fiction. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourett.

August 1, 2020
A woman who has been killing men for years, and enjoying it, finds her secret under investigation. Dr. Scarlett Clark, a successful English professor at small, elite Gorman University, has a secret: For years, she's been killing boys and men guilty of assault and rape of other women. In a world where the university system shies away from seeking justice for these young women, she has taken it upon herself to assume the role of avenging angel, staging most of the deaths as accidents or suicide. But when she eliminates a star football player, doubt surfaces that he was suicidal, and Dr. Samina Pierce, head of the psychology department, begins to look for patterns in the past deaths. This doesn't stop Scarlett, however, from planning one of her most personal murders yet. Scarlett's story unfolds in parallel to a second tale: Chapters from Scarlett's point of view alternate with chapters from the perspective of Carly Schiller, a Gorman freshman who witnesses an assault against her roommate and becomes obsessed with exposing the guilty student. In this novel, everything is black or white: Male behavior is always predatory while female response is always justified. While author Fargo may have intended her vigilante to be the embodiment of independent, enlightened womanhood, a hero for the #MeToo era, it's clear that Scarlett is actually a sociopath. Those who deem themselves an arm of justice often have to live in the gray area, but there's little evidence that Scarlett feels guilt or inner conflict, as the most compelling vigilante heroes in literature usually do. Instead, the argument that murder is always justified, and even admirable, might make for a good thriller, but it rejects the opportunity to explore accountability and inspire true cultural change. Disarms its own argument for woman power by simply equating revenge to justice.

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September 1, 2020
Fargo's second psychological thriller (following Temper, 2019) will satisfy her fans and delight revenge aficionados everywhere. Scarlett Clark is a popular English professor at Gorman University. But Scarlett has a secret: I've spent the last sixteen years murdering men who deserve it. All of her victims have come from the university community, so it's no surprise that campus officials decide to appoint a special investigator. In her initial arrogance?and, later, thanks to a heated romantic relationship?Scarlett puts her secret life at risk. Meanwhile, Gorman freshman Carly Schiller is trying to keep a low profile, but her roommate, Allison, has plans for her, and the two students develop an intense friendship. When Allison is sexually assaulted, Carly becomes obsessed with making a frat boy pay. Intense is the key word here, and the author does an astonishingly good job in getting inside the heads of Scarlett and Carly as they take turns narrating. A Shakespeare class on Titus Andronicus is cleverly inserted into the story: Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)