The Writing Retreat

Aspiring novelist Alex —the narrator of Bartz’s audacious psychological thriller debut—idolizes button-pushing feminist horror writer Roza Vallo, so she’s elated when Roza selects her to attend an exclusive, all-female writing retreat at Blackbriar, Roza’s remote Adirondacks estate. Upon arriving, Alex and the other four invitees learn they must each conceive of and complete an entirely new book in the next 28 days. Roza will eject anyone who doesn’t make their daily word count, but her editor will publish the best finished manuscript and pay its author a $1 million advance. With Roza’s encouragement, Alex begins a fictionalized account of the bizarre, unsolved deaths of Blackbriar’s builder and his occultist wife. The story flows as though channeled, but when unsettling events start happening and one of the participants disappears during a blizzard, Alex wonders if perhaps she should focus less on potential fame and more on survival. Boldly drawn characters complement Bartz’s gleefully twisted plot. Excerpts from Alex’s work-in-progress pepper her increasingly paranoid narration, underscoring her shifting mindset. Sara Gran fans, take note. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM Partners. (Feb.)