Five Bad Deeds

July 1, 2023

Raising a family, renovating her house, and job hunting, ever-conscientious Ellen Walsh is dumbfounded when she receives a note that states, "People have to learn there are consequences, Ellen. And I'm going to teach you that lesson." What did she do? Nothing intentional, but she starts considering her missteps. A stand-alone from the Barry-nominated author of the "Cat Kinsella" series; with a 75,000-copy paperback and 25,000-copy hardcover first printing. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 9, 2023
In this devastating suspense novel, Frear (Shed No Tears) cycles through the perspectives of married couple Ellen and Adam Walsh and a cluster of their neighbors and relatives to examine the sometimes suffocating bonds of small-town England. Ellen, a well-meaning teacher and mother of three, receives an enigmatic letter warning her that “sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” The threat is followed by the exposure of Ellen’s eponymous bad deeds, beginning with the leak of drunk photos on Facebook that lead to a visit from Social Services, before escalating to a police investigation into her alleged affair with a 17-year-old student who’s gone missing. With her life on the brink of collapse, Ellen races to answer one question: why is someone doing this to her? Frear keeps readers on their toes from the start, but what elevates this above standard genre fare is the freshness and acuity of her language: a friend who ends an affair reminds Ellen of her own young son, “all puffed up and proud that he’d tidied his toys like I’d asked”; a McMansion “seemed to hang back from the rest of the village with the slightly embarrassed air of someone who knows they’ve overdressed.” This is a must-read for fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn. Agent: Marilia Savvides, 42MP.

October 15, 2023
What will a mother do to protect her daughter? Ellen and Adam Walsh purchased their dream home in posh Thames Lawley for their growing family and are about to begin major renovations. Ellen considers herself a good wife and mother and a fantastic neighbor. Her private tutoring business helps students achieve their highest potential. So how did she wind up in jail? Someone is out to destroy her life and reputation. Is she just being made a scapegoat? The novel is told through various points of view, and multiple suspects are considered, all harboring their own private hatred towards Ellen. However, Ellen is hardly innocent, as she keeps her own secrets from her friends and family. The claws come out as the backstabbing ensues, reminding readers to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Frear (Stone Cold Heart, 2019) explores themes of alcoholism, infidelity, loyalty, and revenge in this twisty domestic-suspense thriller. It will likely appeal to readers of Shari Lapena, Sally Hepworth, Jamie Day, and Melissa Adelman.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2023
"Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences," begins the letter that changes Ellen Walsh's life. This might as well be the tagline for the novel. While Ellen might not be the perfect mom, she checks most of the boxes, most of the time. She's got the successful husband, the designer bling, and the idyllic small-town life, complete with a house undergoing expensive renovations (financed by the in-laws) to become her dream home. If she might snap at her kids or overindulge in wine from time to time--well, who wouldn't, with a hostile teenage daughter and a set of 4-year-old twins? But Ellen's secrets run deeper than the occasional, regrettable Facebook selfie-under-the-influence. She may be responsible for destroying her friend's marriage. She may have had a hand in her model sister's career-ending accident. And she definitely chose to keep the high school student she's tutoring a secret from her husband. So when Ellen receives an anonymous letter from someone intent on tormenting her for her perceived "crimes," she knows she has a lot to lose. Trying to uncover the culprit and avoid exposure, Ellen instead finds herself humiliated and discredited at every turn. While Frear's exploration of the darker side of motherhood and the trappings of affluent domestic "achievement" for white women seems to follow the recent trend in thrillers, the characters and the mystery itself are elevated by expert pacing; snappy, believable dialogue; and colorful metaphors ("Kristy always had a mouth like a rusty machete"). As a commentary on what some people will sacrifice for social status and the long-reaching consequences of childhood trauma, the novel is a psychological triumph. Well-plotted and deliciously edgy.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.