A Good Person

Screenwriter King debuts with the clever tale of a vengeful woman whose ex-boyfriend winds up dead after she casts a spell on him. Lillian lives in Boston, works in marketing, and spends her weekends drinking and hooking up with Henry, whom she met in a bar. Determined to convince him to settle down with her, Lillian only succeeds in pushing him away. When he breaks up with her, she gets drunk, urinates on his doorstep, and, borrowing from a witch influencer she knows from work, performs a hex to ensure he’ll never be with anyone else. That same night, Henry is stabbed to death outside a bar, and the police identify Lilian as a suspect based on a text she sent him the night before: “You’re going to get what you deserve.” Following the case online, Lillian learns Henry was in a long-term relationship with another woman, Nora. Desperate to clear her name and insert herself as the real grieving girlfriend, Lillian wages an internet war against Nora. King raises thought-provoking questions about performances of victimhood and the desire for justice, and the propulsive narrative careens through some surprising twists. It’s equal parts thrilling and chilling. Agent: Nicola Barr, Bent Agency. (Mar.)