Come with Me
Published on 22. August 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
300 pages
978-1-6625-1032-8 (ISBN)
Description
Two women. An old friendship rekindled. A growing fear. Not everything is as it seems in a dark and twisty novel of suspense by the Edgar Award-winning author of Deer Season.
Gwen Maner is a widowed single mom, returning to her Ohio hometown with her daughter. And thanks to former acquaintance Nicola Kimmel, this is the start of Gwen's new and promising life.
Nicola's secured Gwen a lucrative job, rented Gwen a house on her same street, and won the heart of Gwen's daughter, but she almost seems too good to be true. She's so selfless. So charismatic. And so take-charge. Gwen is sure Nicola is yearning only for someone to get close to. After all, according to Nicola, her marriage is falling apart, and her best friend just up and left one day.
But how well does Gwen really know Nicola? What does Nicola ultimately want? As their lives become more entwined, and Nicola's grip tightens, Gwen begins to think that Nicola isn't helping Gwen and her daughter but vying for control of every aspect of her life. And the consequences may be deadly.
Gwen Maner is a widowed single mom, returning to her Ohio hometown with her daughter. And thanks to former acquaintance Nicola Kimmel, this is the start of Gwen's new and promising life.
Nicola's secured Gwen a lucrative job, rented Gwen a house on her same street, and won the heart of Gwen's daughter, but she almost seems too good to be true. She's so selfless. So charismatic. And so take-charge. Gwen is sure Nicola is yearning only for someone to get close to. After all, according to Nicola, her marriage is falling apart, and her best friend just up and left one day.
But how well does Gwen really know Nicola? What does Nicola ultimately want? As their lives become more entwined, and Nicola's grip tightens, Gwen begins to think that Nicola isn't helping Gwen and her daughter but vying for control of every aspect of her life. And the consequences may be deadly.
Reviews / Votes
"Forget where this is heading and enjoy the ride." -Kirkus Reviews"Edgar winner [Erin] Flanagan (Blackout) explores the dark side of female friendship in this nail-biting thriller...It's another strong outing..." -Publishers Weekly
"Come with Me is a white-knuckle psychological thriller of the highest order." -Bookreporter
"Written in Flanagan's captivating style and featuring brilliant characterization, Come with Me is another winner from one of the most promising new voices in the genre. Brace yourselves for an unforgettable ride." -The Big Thrill, ITW
"Domestic suspense morphs into a full blown thriller" -Dayton Daily News
"Readers will have a hard time putting this book down once they are a few chapters into it due to the relatable protagonist and constantly escalating stakes...Eventually, the main narrative and the flashbacks dovetail, building up to a powerful ending." -Midwest Book Review
"Erin Flanagan's debut novel, Deer Season, netted her the highest prize in mystery fiction. Her second, Blackout, confirmed her as a striking talent with a remarkable command of pace and place. And now, in Come with Me, this gifted author revives the female-friendship thriller-as immortalized in films like Single White Female and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle-with wit, with verve, with style... but (best of all) without mercy. There are passages in Come with Me so breathtakingly tense that I felt as though I were being held underwater; Flanagan knows just how to rattle us before going in for the kill. This is a splendid novel, scary and smart, and you'll want to discuss it with a friend. Just make sure that friend is who you think she is." -A.J. Finn, New York Times best-selling author of The Woman in The Window
"Come with Me will take your hand and pull you under, just like a too-close-too-fast friendship. Erin Flanagan was a standout when she debuted with her Edgar-winner, Deer Season, and she's gotten even better. Flanagan manages high-stakes escapism that's grounded by her penetrating observations of how we really think, act, and are. She writes real-world people living the stuff of nightmares. Come with Me offers dread that builds to a crescendo and a perfect ending for this incisive portrait of a hypnotic friendship. To echo the enigmatic Nicola, I suggest a few rules for your read: 1. Clear your schedule. 2. Lose your phone. 3. Don't jump to conclusions. " -Caitlin Wahrer, Edgar-Award-nominated author of The Damage
"Oh, the webs we weave when first we practice to deceive...Come with Me is a twisty tale of deceptions and misdirections about a woman who decides to take up the life she left behind when she married her husband after he dies suddenly. But though it all seems magical at first-great job, great friend, great apartment-it isn't long before Gwen is questioning everything and everyone in her life. But who's the true villain here? You'll have to read to find out! " -Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of Please Join Us and Have You Seen Her
"Anyone who's read Erin Flanagan's Edgar-winner Deer Season knows she's a phenomenal storyteller who builds intricate worlds filled with vivid and relatable characters, and Come with Me is her latest gem. In this gripping suspense novel, widow Gwen Maner is forced to confront her thorny relationship with her aging mom at the same time she reconnects with a former co-worker, who may just be her salvation-or the source of a lot more misery. This propulsive tale is a riveting study in how desperation and dire circumstances make us ripe for manipulation and cause us to ignore our instincts. Come with Me is a rollercoaster ride that will have you holding your breath until the final page. " -Liz Alterman, author of The Perfect Neighborhood
"Come with Me is a deliciously dark thrill ride about toxic friendship, grief, and the stark-and dangerous-difference between our true self and the face we show the world. Erin Flanagan is without a doubt one of the best crime writers working today, and her latest takes us inside the corporate world, unearthing the ugly reality of what women in business must sometimes do to succeed. A thoroughly satisfying, thought-provoking read. I loved it. " -Julia Dahl, Edgar-nominated author of The Missing Hours
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Publishing group
Amazon Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
328 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6625-1032-8 (9781662510328)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Erin Flanagan is the Edgar Award-winning author of Blackout, Deer Season, and two short story collections, The Usual Mistakes and It's Not Going to Kill You, and Other Stories. She's held fellowships to Yaddo, MacDowell, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Ucross, and the Vermont Studio Center. An English professor at Wright State University, Erin lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, daughter, two cats, two dogs, and her friendly, caustic thoughts. For more information, visit www.erinflanagan.net.