The Woman Inside

Set in a Real Housewifes-esque swathe of Long Island, N.Y., this dizzyingly plotted, miniseries-ready domestic thriller from the pseudonymous Scott (a screenwriter and a publishing professional team) centers on self-medicated to the gills pharma rep Rebecca, whose opiate addiction threatens to cost her her job—and her drug pipeline. At the same time, Rebecca starts to suspect that her husband of 20 years, Paul, a contractor turned real estate broker, may be straying—possibly with her loathsome boss’s Botox Barbie wife, Sasha, who was Paul’s high school sweetheart. Sasha has just disappeared, as will the dysfunctional couple’s sexy neighbor, Sheila. For maximal misdirection, Scott exploits multiple narrators, most of whom are unreliable save for a pair of wisecracking detectives, during the devious, deadly, and occasionally downright preposterous proceedings that set up an unexpected finale. Fortunately, this outcome is less disturbing than it might otherwise be, since the only truly sympathetic character is Duff, Rebecca and Paul’s dog. Those looking for slick entertainment will hope to see more from Scott. Agent: Christopher Schelling, Selectric Artists. (Jan.)