The Secretary

British author Knight follows 2015’s Disclaimer, her well-received debut, with a decidedly creepy psychological thriller. Ambitious Mina Appleton, who becomes the head of a London-based supermarket chain upon her father’s retirement, is finally able to execute her aggressive plan to increase the family-owned business’s market share. For this, she needs more than a secretary. She wants someone who will make sure no detail falls through the cracks, either at the office or at home. Perfectionist Christine Butcher fills the bill. Devoting herself to anticipating Mina’s every need, she personifies the secret in secretary. Whether it’s reciting meeting minutes and business phone numbers from memory, picking up dry cleaning, or baking cookies for Mina’s children, Christine does it all, invisibly, discreetly. Their mutual trust far exceeds the norm as long as Christine, who will remind many of Mrs. Danvers in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, remembers her below-stairs place. But, after 18 years of Mina’s demands costing Christine her husband, her child, and more, a bitter betrayal spirals into a chilling comeuppance. Readers are sure to be left breathless. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Feb.)