Jane Doe

Revenge drives this fascinating thriller from romance author Stone (Evelyn, After). Jane, an admitted sociopath, temporarily relocates from Kuala Lumpur, where she’s a successful import/export attorney, to Minneapolis, where her best (and only) friend, Meg Peterson, whom she became close to in college, was living until Meg committed suicide. Jane holds Meg’s boyfriend, Steven Hepsworth, responsible. She knows Steven emotionally abused Meg by repeatedly breaking up with her and wooing her back with promises of marriage and the wonderful life they would share, until he precipitously ended the relationship for good. Jane, who has gained employment as a data entry clerk in the firm in which Steven is a middle manager, proceeds to ingratiate herself into his life, determined either to take away what is most important to him as Steven did to her, or, more drastically, to murder him. Stone keeps the suspense high throughout. Readers will relish Jane’s Machiavellian maneuvers to even the score with the unlikable Steven. (Aug.)