Alice Close Your Eyes

November 11, 2013
Set primarily on Washington’s Vashon Island in Puget Sound, Dean’s first novel opens with Alice Croft breaking into Jack Calabrese’s home in order to steal his box of mementoes—a type of box, she asserts, “everyone has.” She doesn’t know Jack, but wants to learn if he’s the kind of man who will kill for her and, when he finds her in his house, the two soon discover they share an interest in sadomasochism. Alice and Jack target a potential murder victim, who remains unidentified until near the end; vignettes show the reader Alice’s horrific childhood, which may or may not have had a direct effect on her need to kill. Few will be surprised that the crime plot takes a backseat to Alice’s sex addiction and Jack’s increasingly abusive behavior toward her. This lurid combination of erotica and twisted psychopathy will not be to every taste. Agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management.

December 15, 2013
Since aging out of the foster-care system, Alice has been looking for a man who can help her exact revenge on the person she blames for the bleak direction of her life, but finding him will lead them both on a path of obsession, pain and violence. Alice has quietly tracked a man she thinks might be a good candidate to help her seek vengeance for the tragedy that ruined her life. She breaks into his house to find more evidence, but as she's exploring Jack Calabrese's house, he catches her in the act. Angry but also intrigued, Jack secures her contact information then pursues her, and the two wind up in a relationship that combines a spectrum of romantic, obsessive and dangerous emotions. Alice's vengeful intentions are well-met in Jack, but her schemes have always been theoretical, and now that their fulfillment is a possibility, she may need to revisit her plans and her past. Jack is everything she's ever wanted, which could be a sign that she has to rethink her life, her desires and her salvation. Debut author Dean pens a haunting, intense novel that is at once psychologically compelling and emotionally unsettling. Taut pacing and skilled storytelling support a breathtaking plot and characters that are heartbreaking and horrifying yet somehow still accessible and sympathetic. With troubling psychological and sexual violence, this book is not for the faint of heart. It's scorching, disturbing, and tragic but well-crafted and impressively written.

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Starred review from January 1, 2014

In the decade since she was orphaned, Alice Croft has been busy plotting her own true crime drama, but she is caught red-handed by the unsuspecting man she's been stalking, whom she's chosen to star unwillingly in this drama. Jack Calabrese, having spent time in prison for a crime he only wishes he'd committed against his wife, now confronts a beautiful thief, a woman he will not report because he's not finished with her. As the plot unfolds, readers will wonder: Who are the villains, and who are the victims? VERDICT Dean's debut is an absorbing, deeply disturbing, darkly erotic psychological thriller of tragedy and revenge. Fans of Agatha Christie, Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), and Thomas Harris (The Silence of the Lambs) will love this disquieting novel.--Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City-Cty. Lib. Dist., St Peters, MO

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2013
A cross between steamy exotic romance and spooky thriller, Alice Close Your Eyes will have readers on the edge of their seats. Promising newcomer Dean spins a web out of the deepest human obsessions that underlie the painful past of her protagonist, Alice Croft, to reveal a haunting story. Wronged many years ago, she attempts to make things right by breaking into the home of the only man she believes can help her, Jack Calabrese. Alice doesn't want to be friends with Jack, she wants to use him for her revenge. But her fierce plans go awry when she can't seem to turn away from their powerful sexual attraction. What awaits her, though, is not pleasurable passion but rather Jack's lies and deep secrets, which end up causing Alice even more trouble than she already had. Dean's tricky tale of psychological romantic suspense will leave readers wanting more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)