By Ashley Winstead

Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022. 385 pages. Fiction 

During their senior year of college, Shay Evans and her best friend Laurel escaped from a violent, magnetic man and his equally violent views about women and society. Eight years later, Shay has built a new life for herself. But the horrifying news of Laurel's death shatters her world and makes her suspect that the people from her past are back and more dangerous than ever. Recruiting the help of a true-crime podcast host, Shay is determined to find out the truth. When clues lead her to a Secret cult devoted to male superiority, she discovers what happened to her eight years ago was only the beginning. When Shay's search for answers turns into an obsession, forcing her to confront her own complicity and conditioning, she'll have to make a life-changing decision: how much would she give up to take down the men who've ruled her life? 

Alternating between Shay’s POV and the podcast transcript in which she relives her past and the details leading up to her friend's death, The Last Housewife hooked me from the very first page. Winstead created a sympathetic and likable character in Shay, so that by the time her college past is uncovered, we can see what led to her choices, both past and present, no matter how unrelatable they may seem. I really enjoy books told through an investigative process and this book really excels at that, especially with the podcast element. Winstead also created a terrifying, yet believable, cult that is inspired by the real-life Sarah Lawrence cult. Overall, if you enjoy dark thrillers inspired by true crime, you are sure to enjoy The Last Housewife. 

Just Like Home

By Sarah Gailey

Tor, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2022. 344 pages. Sci-Fi 

"Come home." Vera's mother called and Vera obeyed. Despite their long estrangement, despite the memories, she's come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there, beneath the house he'd built for his family. Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren't alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera's childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn't the one leaving notes around the house in her father's handwriting, but who else could it possibly be? There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes. 

More Than You’ll Ever Know

By Katie Gutierrez

William Morrow, 2022. 435 pages. Fiction

In 1985, Lore Rivera marries Andres Russo in Mexico City, even though she is already married to Fabian Rivera in Laredo, Texas. Through her career as an international banker, Lore splits her time between two countries and two families until the truth is revealed and one husband is arrested for murdering the other. In 2017, while trawling the internet for the most sensational news reports, struggling true-crime writer Cassie Bowman encounters an article detailing that tragic final act. Cassie is immediately enticed by what is not explored: Why would a woman, a mother, risk everything for a secret double marriage? Cassie sees an opportunity; she'll track Lore down and capture the full picture. But the more time she spends with Lore, the more Cassie questions the facts surrounding the murder itself. Soon, her determination to uncover the truth could threaten to derail Lore's now quiet life and expose the many secrets both women are hiding.

BW