Reputation

Starred review from September 30, 2019
The murder of cardiac surgeon Greg Strasser in the home he shared with his fund-raiser wife, Kit Manning-Strasser, and his two stepdaughters propels this exceptional suspense novel from Shepard (The Elizas). Days earlier, a massive hack of the email system of Pittsburgh’s Aldrich University revealed explicit correspondence from the victim’s secret affair. Sharing the narration are a number of women whom Greg’s death touches, including Kit; Kit’s jealous, opportunistic coworker, Lynn Godfrey; Greg’s colleague, nurse, and new mother Laura Apatrea; and Kit’s distant sister, investigative reporter Willa Manning, who confronts her own history while helping to exonerate Kit. By giving each woman more than sufficient motivation to have killed Greg (Lynn and Laura also have reason to suspect their spouses) and making them sympathetic, the author ensures that the reader is pulled between revulsion and the urge to accept each one’s self-justifications for her behavior. In this viscerally satisfying thriller, Shepard forces readers to contemplate the inescapable aftereffects of impulsive poor choices. Agent: Andy McNicol, WME.

Five incredible narrators take turns sharing perspectives in this shocking thriller. Aldrich University's email system is hacked, spilling secrets of students, faculty, and administrators alike. When Kit's husband, Greg, is found murdered, many people, those hacked emails reveal, have a motive. Lisa Flanagan brings a sophisticated tone as dependable Kit through an even pace that contrasts with her gasps and shrill shouts when the unexpected happens. Allyson Ryan is confident and sharp toned as Willa, Kit's younger sister, an investigative journalist. Phoebe Strole energetically portrays a young wild card named Reyna. Brittany Pressley speaks softly as the fearful and desperate Laura, who's always looking over her shoulder, and Karissa Vacker's voice oozes sex appeal as the sultry and manipulative Lynn, Kit's co-worker. A.L.C. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine