04/18/2022
In this disturbing psychological thriller from Winstead (Fool Me Once), there’s no hiding from the past for Shay Deroy, who has been running for eight years from the trauma she and her two closest friends at New York’s Whitney College suffered at the hands of the charismatic older man who initially captivated them, then held them captive. Alarm bells sound for Shay, now a Dallas trophy wife, when she learns that her surviving bestie, gentle Laurel Hargrove, has been found hanging on the Whitney campus, eerily echoing the scene at other bestie Clem Jones’s apparent suicide her senior year. Coincidence? True crime podcaster Jamie Knight, Shay’s friend since childhood, doesn’t think so—and he makes a public plea for her help investigating. Still feeling guilty about failing to protect Clem, Shay agrees to join forces with Jamie. Back at Whitney, she runs up against some of the same malevolent forces that seduced her before. Winstead offers insight into the masochistic psychology that can set up vulnerable women to be recruited into cults, but readers should be prepared for ugly scenes of self-harm, suicide, rape, and misogyny. This dark suspense novel may be too grim for some. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong. (Aug.)
"Deliciously unputdownable." — The Washington Post
"Strap in for a terrifying tale of revenge." — The Seattle Times
"Captivating." — Zibby Owens for Good Morning America
"A truly terrifying novel." — Cosmopolitan
"I barely breathed through most of this horrifyingly engrossing story, so consider yourself warned." — Good Housekeeping
"A story that needs to be told—about misogyny, sexual violence, and human trafficking, and how innocent trust can lead to abusive seduction...This explosive cautionary tale of a “podcast meets sex cult meets murder” will captivate fans of twisted psychological suspense." — Library Journal, STARRED review
"A great crime story...a memorable and satisfying piece of noir fiction." — Southern Review of Books
"A dark, twisted tale of feminism and patriarchy, Ashley Winstead has given us a gripping story about a cult and the ways in which women became psychologically bound, while at the same time exploring themes of power and redemption. Timely and terrifying, The Last Housewife will haunt your dreams and change the way you view the world." — Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell
"Ashley Winstead takes her reader into the heart of darkness — and brilliantly reveals the tender, human part hidden in those shadows. Propulsive, smart, and chilling, The Last Housewife confirms what In My Dreams I Hold a Knife promised: no one writes like thrillers like Ashley Winstead." — Alison Wisdom, author of The Burning Season
"A stunning, disturbing thriller that will have your mind and heart racing. The Last Housewife is a clever, twisty, unnerving ride through feminism, patriarchy, and power, and it had me gasping for air." — Samantha Downing, international bestselling author of For Your Own Good
"Provocative and downright terrifying, The Last Housewife feels ripped from the headlines as it explores the dark world of a violent, misogynist cult in a New York college town. The story unfolds through the eyes of Shay Evans, who returns to avenge the deaths of two college friends and save the women who are still in danger. Winstead deftly tackles the complicated issues of gender, coercion and agency while crafting an edge-of-your-seat, action-packed thriller!" — Wendy Walker, international bestselling author
"Ashley Winstead takes her reader into the heart of darkness — and brilliantly reveals the tender, human part hidden in those shadows. Propulsive, smart, and chilling, The Last Housewife confirms what In My Dreams I Hold a Knife promised: no one writes like thrillers like Ashley Winstead." — Alison Wisdom, author of The Burning Season
"Only fifty shades of grey? Please. Ashley Winstead's The Last Housewife is a technicolor rainbow, provocative and unflinching in its brilliant portrayal of female desire, male violence, and the unsettling link between them. A disturbingly sexy thrill-ride that does more than ‘twist’—it explodes off the page, confronting dark truths about women in the patriarchy and forging weapons of resistance from the flames. You don't read The Last Housewife. You face it down." — Amy Gentry, bestselling author of Good as Gone, Last Woman Standing, and Bad Habits
★ 06/01/2022
Winstead's latest suspense (after In My Dreams I Hold a Knife) is a story that needs to be told—about misogyny, sexual violence, and human trafficking, and how innocent trust can lead to abusive seduction. Shay Deroy leads a life of ease as a posh housewife in a Texas suburb. But her comfortable existence is jolted when she listens to a true-crime podcast hosted by her childhood friend Jamie. He's investigating the death of Laurel, one of Shay's college roommates, and Shay must help him. The police declare it a suicide, but Jamie and Shay have doubts. Laurel's death is eerily similar to the hanging suicide of their other roommate, Clem, during senior year. Jamie doesn't know about the friends' dark history with the father of their fourth roommate, Rachel. He'd lured them with attention and adoration, and soon they blindly obeyed. Shay and Jamie follow Laurel's trail into the dark world of sex clubs and abusive manipulation as Shay struggles against being brainwashed into submission again. VERDICT This explosive cautionary tale of a "podcast meets sex cult meets murder" will captivate fans of twisted psychological suspense.—K.L. Romo
