The Walls

In this pulse-pounding thriller from Overton (Baby Doll), 32-year-old single mother Kristy Tucker falls for her teenage son’s judo instructor, Lance Dobson. At first, long, depressing days spent working as a public information officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice leave Kristy eager for laughter-filled evenings with Lance. Then the couple marry, and Lance begins to physically and emotionally abuse Kristy. She tries to leave, but he threatens to kill her son and ailing father. Part of Kristy’s job involves interviewing prisoners. When death-row inmate Clifton Harris asks about a bruise on Kristy’s face, she breaks down and tells him everything. She balks at Clifton’s suggestion that someone in prison might be able to help, but eventually concedes that killing Lance is her only option. After a languidly paced setup, the book’s tension and drama increase exponentially, and readers become as invested in the wrongfully convicted Clifton’s freedom as they are in Kristy’s. Many will applaud Overton’s implicit criticism of capital punishment and laissez-faire attitudes toward domestic violence. Agent: Eve Attermann, William Morris Endeavor. (Aug.)