Pretty Revenge

Liebert (Those Secrets We Keep) delivers a first-rate thriller in this irresistible tale of a wedding planner with a dodgy past and the longtime enemy who aims to expose her secrets. Kerrie O’Malley has just lost her job and is floundering in her hometown of Bridgeport, Conn., when she hears a voice from her past on TV—Jordana Pierson, formerly Jordan Butler, the neighbor who, 18 years earlier, stole all that was precious from Kerrie as a 12-year-old, the circumstances of which are gradually teased out over the course of the narrative. A Manhattan socialite and wedding concierge, Jordana plans the “Wedding of the Century”; Kerrie is planning, too, turning herself into Olivia Lewis, nabbing a job with Jordana’s company, and orchestrating Jordana’s downfall. Bit by bit, Kerrie—acting as a personal assistant to Jordana—gains Jordana’s trust and lays the groundwork for a humiliating fall. Liebert’s characters have surprising depth, particularly the somewhat tortured Jordana, whose past mistakes occurred amid powerful mitigating circumstances. Fans of Leila Slimani’s The Perfect Nanny will devour this expertly paced novel.[em] (July) [/em]