MYSTERY

Social Creature

Doubleday. Jun. 2018. 288p. ISBN 9780385543521. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780385543538. THRILLER
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New York City, where aspiring writers come to make it big, parties with socialites are frequent, and obsession looms, is the setting for this debut psychological thriller. While tutoring Cordelia for her SATs, ambitious Louise from small-town nowhere connects with her pupil's older sister, Lavinia, who has taken a year off from Yale to find herself in the big city while being bankrolled by her wealthy parents. Lavinia is the life of every party and has a knack for attracting people. When an opportunity arises for Louise to live rent free with Lavinia, leading to social gatherings and connections she would otherwise not have experienced, Louise becomes enamored of her roommate's seemingly carefree life, but over time, picking up bar tabs, staying out all night and then missing work the next morning, and a budding clandestine romance with Lavinia's ex-boyfriend, Rex, strains the girls' relationship. As the situation boils over, Louise is presented with a dangerous option to live the way she desires.
VERDICT When the shocking plot twist arrives, readers will be glued to this contemporary take on Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]
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