Come with Me

Edgar winner Flanagan (Blackout) explores the dark side of female friendship in this nail-biting thriller. Thirty-two-year-old Gwen Maren must get a job for the first time in a decade after her husband, Todd, dies of a heart attack and leaves Gwen and their eight-year-old daughter financially ruined. Prior to motherhood, Gwen’s only work experience was an unpaid internship at a media agency. One day, she discovers that Nicola Kimmel, a young woman she interned with, has remained at the agency and climbed its corporate ladder. Desperate, Gwen musters up the strength to call Nicola, who offers her a management position and helps lock down an affordable condo for her and her daughter. At first, Gwen is delighted, but as Nicola’s hospitality increases, she starts to feel stifled—then she digs into the fate of Nicola’s former assistant, Missy, and becomes terrified. Flanagan smoothly alternates Gwen-centered chapters with flashbacks to Nicola’s difficult childhood, gradually revealing the depths of the danger at hand. Some early twists are predictable, but the third-act surprises pack a punch, and watching Nicola spin her web makes for darkly enjoyable reading. It’s another strong outing from Flanagan. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Aug.)