Such a Pretty Smile

DeMeester’s (Beneath) latest is a horror suspense novel with some very sharp teeth. Young Lila Sawyer would love to understand her mother, the famous sculptor Caroline Sawyer. However, Caroline has a dark past, one that begins in New Orleans when she and the rest of the city are terrorized by the Cur, a serial killer targeting young girls. In the present, both mother and daughter notice young girls in their neighborhood turning up dead. The Cur appears to be active again, both Caroline and Lila are keeping secrets, and something hungry is closing in. The story jumps between different timelines, from Caroline’s past to Lila’s present, but DeMeester’s descriptive powers are laser-focused on the psychological horror that both mother and daughter endure. Indeed, DeMeester’s descriptions of physical and mental trauma are both beautiful and harrowing, and the breathy drawl of narrator Kristine Hvam roots the supernatural suspense deep in the heart of New Orleans. What draws listeners in and creates the most tension in this story is the isolation of Lila and Caroline—from each other and from the men they trust, men who either ignore or dismiss the horrors the mother and daughter have experienced.