04/01/2019
Mysticism and medicine intersect with dramatic results in LaCorte’s accomplished page-turning debut. After graduating from college with a degree in English, Claire Hathaway decides to follow in the family tradition by becoming a psychic. Unfortunately, Claire lacks the special gifts of her mother and grandmother. The readings she gives at Mystical Haven in Sedona, Ariz., are complete frauds. Meanwhile, divorced New Jersey mom Rena Cole has dedicated her life to the care of her four-year-old daughter, Stephanie, who has mysterious stomach issues. The latest doctor Rena consults has run every test he can think of and still can’t find what’s causing Stephanie’s distress. In her frustration, Rena decides to take Stephanie to a specialty doctor in Phoenix, Ariz. A seat change on the plane ride brings Claire and Rena together, though neither of them thinks much of the other. That is, until Claire experiences something paranormal that she’s only ever heard her mother talk about. Once in Arizona, the two women become unlikely allies in a battle with evil forces that could well determine Stephanie’s fate. Those who like a dash of the supernatural in their thrillers will be well satisfied. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency. (June)
Be sure to set aside a full few hours because once you begin, you won’t be able to stop. The Perfect Fraud is exactly what a good book should be—a dazzling plot, unforgettable characters, emotional depth—all presented in a fresh new voice that is sure to make Ellen LaCorte a household name.” — Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother
“A slow motion train wreck that won’t let you look away, The Perfect Fraud is a canny examination of the lies we tell to others, but more importantly, the lies we tell ourselves.” — Rufi Thorpe, author of The Girls From Corona Del Mar
“The Perfect Fraud is equal parts dark, creepy thriller and compelling character study with a little bit of magic and a little bit of heartbreak thrown in for good measure. Mothers and daughters, hindsight and clairvoyance, sickness and health twist and trade places in a delicious slow simmer and in ways we never see coming, and gluten-free eating finally gets the sendup it so richly deserves.” — Laurie Frankel, author of This Is How It Always Is
“Mysticism and medicine intersect with dramatic results in LaCorte’s accomplished page-turning debut . . . Those who like a dash of the supernatural in their thrillers will be well satisfied.” — Publishers Weekly
“This is a dark, dark thriller, and the villain is absolute. But alternating voices allow for a more nuanced building of tension …. LaCorte delves deeply into horrible things that humans do—and, as in life, not all evil is punished—but still offers hope and healing in the end.” — Kirkus Reviews
“LaCorte’s debut novel combines a darkly twisted plot with excellent character building, and the eerily realistic setting nicely supports the haunting narrative. This is psychological suspense with a gut-clenching finale, perfect for readers of Gillian Flynn and Brandon Massey.” — Booklist
"What is a beach read exactly? For me, it’s a perfect page-turner that adds to the bliss of summer. This one hits all the marks with two women, one a reluctant fourth-generation commitment-phobic faux psychic, the other a brash single mother with a very mysteriously sick child. The tension rises as the women’s lives collide in the red rocks of Sedona." — Publishers Weekly’ s Best Books of Summer
“The Perfect Fraud makes for the perfect vehicle of pop culture’s current obsession with scammers. This mystifying thriller follows the relationship between a young woman named Claire, whose mother is a psychic while she pretends to be, and a woman she meets by chance with a helplessly ill daughter. It’s a page turner with the right dose of lies and mystery.” — Thrillist Summer Books Roundup
“LaCorte’s debut is the kind of thriller that ratchets up the suspense so slowly you don’t realize until somewhere in the middle how skillfully she’s plotted the novel...a compelling and well executed thriller.” — Crime Reads
“The Perfect Fraud is equal parts dark, creepy thriller and compelling character study with a little bit of magic and a little bit of heartbreak thrown in for good measure. Mothers and daughters, hindsight and clairvoyance, sickness and health twist and trade places in a delicious slow simmer and in ways we never see coming, and gluten-free eating finally gets the sendup it so richly deserves.
LaCorte’s debut is the kind of thriller that ratchets up the suspense so slowly you don’t realize until somewhere in the middle how skillfully she’s plotted the novel...a compelling and well executed thriller.
LaCorte’s debut novel combines a darkly twisted plot with excellent character building, and the eerily realistic setting nicely supports the haunting narrative. This is psychological suspense with a gut-clenching finale, perfect for readers of Gillian Flynn and Brandon Massey.
A slow motion train wreck that won’t let you look away, The Perfect Fraud is a canny examination of the lies we tell to others, but more importantly, the lies we tell ourselves.
Be sure to set aside a full few hours because once you begin, you won’t be able to stop. The Perfect Fraud is exactly what a good book should be—a dazzling plot, unforgettable characters, emotional depth—all presented in a fresh new voice that is sure to make Ellen LaCorte a household name.
The Perfect Fraud makes for the perfect vehicle of pop culture’s current obsession with scammers. This mystifying thriller follows the relationship between a young woman named Claire, whose mother is a psychic while she pretends to be, and a woman she meets by chance with a helplessly ill daughter. It’s a page turner with the right dose of lies and mystery.
Thrillist Summer Books Roundup
LaCorte’s debut novel combines a darkly twisted plot with excellent character building, and the eerily realistic setting nicely supports the haunting narrative. This is psychological suspense with a gut-clenching finale, perfect for readers of Gillian Flynn and Brandon Massey.
