Love You to Death

Twenty-somethings embark on a cross-country crime spree in Dotson’s gleefully unhinged debut. Kayla Davenport dismisses everyone’s claims that her best friend and roommate, Zorie Andrews, is a bad influence. After all, it was Kayla’s petty prank that landed them in jail a few years back—never mind that Zorie egged her on. On weekends, the women supplement their meager hotel housekeeping wages by crashing strangers’ weddings and stealing from the gift table. Their scheme seems foolproof, until they fail to blend in as the only Black guests at an antebellum-themed reception and Zorie accidentally kills a bridesmaid while fleeing the scene. Since Georgia has the death penalty, the panicked duo hits the road. Kayla’s hopes of maintaining a low profile vanish when Zorie commits armed robbery to score supplies. Tempers flare between the two as a nationwide manhunt commences, testing their ride-or-die bond. Dark humor and hints of horror season the madcap, noir-tinged action, with Dotson pushing her Thelma and Louise setup to deliciously absurd extremes. For all the high-stakes action, though, it’s the shifting dynamics of Kayla and Zorie’s thorny relationship that keeps the pages turning. This is criminally good. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong Literary. (July)