The Elizas

January 22, 2018
At the start of this provocative, if at times predictable, psychological thriller from bestseller Shepard (Everything We Ever Wanted), Burbank, Calif., native Eliza Fontaine wakes up in the hospital. Days before, she was fished from the bottom of a Palm Springs resort’s swimming pool in what appeared to be her latest suicide attempt. Yet this time, Eliza insists that someone pushed her. Her frustrated family suggests that she’s unwell and should check into a facility, but Eliza is certain that she knows the truth and is determined to find out who might have a reason to want her dead. Meanwhile, her debut novel, The Dots, about a young girl with a brain tumor and the glamorous aunt who cares for her, is nearing publication. But the more Eliza looks into her past, the more it’s apparent there are holes in her memory and it’s unclear how much her book of fiction is based on half-recollected history. While the shifts between Eliza’s investigation and excerpts from The Dots can be jarring, Eliza’s voice draws readers in, and her unreliable memory creates tension. Gillian Flynn fans will be satisfied. Agent: Andy McNicol, William Morris Endeavor.

February 15, 2018
When Eliza Fontaine awakens in the hospital, her family tells her she's survived yet another attempt at suicide by drowning. The trouble is, Eliza knows she was pushed. But by whom?Sure, Eliza has tried four times before to drown herself--knowing full well that she cannot swim--but her life is looking up now. After years of hospitalizations recovering from surgeries to remove a brain tumor, she still has some lost memories, but she's channeled her creative energies into writing a book inspired by her ordeal. Entitled The Dots, the book tells the story of a young girl, Dot, whose glamorous Aunt Dorothy shepherds her through repeated hospitalizations for cancer and inexplicable seizures. Snapped up by a publisher, The Dots is sure to be a blockbuster. So why would Eliza check into a posh hotel, get drunk, and then hurl herself into the pool? Despite her family's efforts to secure inpatient psychiatric treatment for her, Eliza has other plans and begins to investigate. Desmond, the quirky assistant marketer for LA Comic-Con who rescued her, becomes her sidekick as she chases down a suspicious ex-boyfriend, evasive bartenders, and mysterious villains. Events from Eliza's and Dot's lives begin to parallel each other; Shepard amplifies the confusion by alternating chapters from Eliza's and Dot's perspectives. As the hunt continues, Eliza's memories begin to collide with Dot's, and the search for her assailant becomes a journey into her own past. Bestselling author Shepard (The Amateurs: Follow Me, 2017, etc.), of Pretty Little Liars fame, pays close attention to cinematic details, practically projecting Eliza's descent into personal nightmare, where she cannot be certain of her own memories, onto a silver screen: Scenes are carefully framed, and a soundtrack even bubbles along.A delicious Southern California noir riddled with muddled identities and family secrets.

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March 15, 2018

This new adult novel from Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) opens with Eliza Fontaine, a first-time author, enjoying herself in her hotel room with a few drinks. It then cuts to her being rescued from the hotel pool, seemingly a case of attempted suicide. Eliza has a history of suicidal tendencies, exacerbated from a brain tumor that has been recently removed. But Eliza knows she was pushed into that pool and now is on a mission to prove it. As Eliza tries to piece together a web of lies associated with that night, she is also in the process of promoting her new book, Dots. This is a novel within a novel, so every other chapter is a chapter from Dots. Both story lines are eerily similar, and Eliza's novel seems based on her real-life family, including several strange, creepy characters. After throwing out plenty of red herrings, Shepard concludes with a surprise twist ending. VERDICT A solid choice for psychological thriller aficionados. [Prepub Alert, 10/22/17.]--Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

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