It Takes Monsters

This promising but predictable marital thriller from McHugh (Chloe Cates Is Missing) centers on frustrated wife Victoria Tate. One October evening, Victoria, a fastidious financial adviser at her father’s investment company, finally commits to her plan to kill her husband, Warren. (“If God didn’t want her to kill her husband, then he wouldn’t have made him such a prick.”) Having painstakingly studied true crime podcasts, Victoria believes she’s ready to pull off “the perfect crime.” Then two of the firm’s most influential clients change the date of their fall bash to the same night Victoria’s picked for the murder. Reluctantly, she goes to the event, accepting the extravagant mask that all attendees are instructed to wear. She locates an intoxicated Warren, they argue, and she heads home alone. A short time later, Det. Briana Meyers informs Victoria that Warren has been murdered and his body mutilated. Disturbing texts from an untraceable source then begin appearing on Victoria’s phone, and before long, she becomes the prime suspect in a crime she—begrudgingly—didn’t commit. Unfortunately, Victoria’s witty observations on marriage soon dry up, and the narrative descends into paint-by-numbers suspense, complete with a handful of easy-to-predict twists. This shows flashes of originality but fails to stick the landing. Agent: Anne Tibbets, Donald Maass Literary. (Oct.)