The Nesting

After a failed suicide attempt, aspiring writer Lexi Ellis, the desperate narrator of this hypnotic psychological thriller from Cooke (I Know My Name), loses her job and her home in the north of England. Then on a train Lexi overhears a stranger, Sophie Hallerton, talking with a friend about a possible nanny job in Norway, a country that Lexi, a Nordic noir fan, has long been enamored of, though she’s never been there. Lexi gets photos of Sophie’s CV and application off the stranger’s laptop while Sophie and friend go to the buffet car, and soon she’s in London interviewing for the nanny job. She’s hired to work for architect Tom Faraday, the father of two young girls, who’s nearly finished building a house in a remote region of Norway in honor of his late wife, Aurelia. Once in Norway, Lexi fits easily enough into her nanny role, but odd things start to happen, from almost being locked in the basement to learning about the housekeeper’s obsession with Aurelia, whose death was deemed a suicide. Lexi comes to think it was actually murder. Readers will keep guessing what’s really going on right up to the surprise ending. Rebecca fans won’t want to miss this one. Agent: Alice Lutyens, Curtis Brown Literary (U.K.). (Sept.)