Alice Close Your Eyes

Set primarily on Washington’s Vashon Island in Puget Sound, Dean’s first novel opens with Alice Croft breaking into Jack Calabrese’s home in order to steal his box of mementoes—a type of box, she asserts, “everyone has.” She doesn’t know Jack, but wants to learn if he’s the kind of man who will kill for her and, when he finds her in his house, the two soon discover they share an interest in sadomasochism. Alice and Jack target a potential murder victim, who remains unidentified until near the end; vignettes show the reader Alice’s horrific childhood, which may or may not have had a direct effect on her need to kill. Few will be surprised that the crime plot takes a backseat to Alice’s sex addiction and Jack’s increasingly abusive behavior toward her. This lurid combination of erotica and twisted psychopathy will not be to every taste. Agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management. (Jan.)