Murder Your Darlings

Historical novelist Blum (The Lost Family) makes a smooth transition to psychological thrillers with this witty send-up of the publishing industry. Sam Vetiver, 40 and divorced, is on her way to the last stop of an exhausting book tour for her fourth novel while the deadline for her still unwritten fifth one looms. Fed up with the stress of publishing, Sam declares she’d give up writing if she had someone to share her life with. When she arrives home in Boston at the end of the tour, she receives a long, flattering email from bestseller William Corwyn, a 60-something novelist lauded for his female-centric blockbusters. William at first seems like a dream come true—until Sam learns about his obsessive stalker, whom William has dubbed the Rabbit due to her pronounced overbite. Effortlessly toggling perspectives between the Rabbit, Sam, and William, Blum gradually complicates her portrait of Sam’s supposed savior until the novel starts to incur a body count. Funny, surprising, and razor-sharp about the book business’s ruthlessness, this adds up to a captivating tale of love, death, and revenge. Thriller fans will be eager to see what Blum does next. Agent: Stephanie Abou, Massie, McQuilkin & Altman. (Jan.)