In Deadly Company
Will be published approx. on 4. December 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-4549-6073-7 (ISBN)
Description
An incisive workplace satire and twisty murder mystery featuring a young executive assistant who realizes the peril in being diligently attentive to her boss's whims.
As the assistant of the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Nicole Underwood has plenty of tasks on her to-do list-one of which is the blowout birthday celebration for her nightmare, one-percenter boss, Xander Chambers. But when the party ends in chaos and murder and Nicole is one of the survivors, suspicion-from the investigators to the media-lands on her. Was she the reason for all the bloodshed?
A year after those deadly events, Nicole tries to set the public record straight by agreeing to consult on a feature film based on her story. However, on the set in LA, she's sidelined by inappropriate casting and persistent, bizarre script changes, while also haunted by the events of that party weekend with visions of her now-deceased boss. It seems clearing her name isn't so simple when the question of guilt or innocence is...complicated.
As the assistant of the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Nicole Underwood has plenty of tasks on her to-do list-one of which is the blowout birthday celebration for her nightmare, one-percenter boss, Xander Chambers. But when the party ends in chaos and murder and Nicole is one of the survivors, suspicion-from the investigators to the media-lands on her. Was she the reason for all the bloodshed?
A year after those deadly events, Nicole tries to set the public record straight by agreeing to consult on a feature film based on her story. However, on the set in LA, she's sidelined by inappropriate casting and persistent, bizarre script changes, while also haunted by the events of that party weekend with visions of her now-deceased boss. It seems clearing her name isn't so simple when the question of guilt or innocence is...complicated.
Reviews / Votes
PRAISE FOR DO WHAT GODMOTHER SAYS:ONE OF NPR'S 2024 PICKS FOR "BOOKS WE LOVE""Stratton's thriller featuring two women facing daunting obstacles and danger is dark, twist filled, and suspenseful." -Booklist
"Stratton (Not So Perfect Strangers) interweaves the stories of two budding artists living a century apart in this entertaining chiller."-Publishers Weekly
"Stratton delivers a tightly woven dual-timeline thriller. Elements of occult horror, historical fiction, and whodunit will intrigue readers of all stripes. Give this to fans of Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching."-Library Journal
"Author L. S. Stratton does a marvelous job of interweaving the stories of two women across generations and how time might not separate them as much as it seems."-Historical Novel Society
"This captivating dual-timeline Gothic thriller...skillfully reveals the intricacies of creative ownership, particularly in the context of race and wealth."-NPR
PRAISE FOR NOT SO PERFECT STRANGERS
A Book Riot Best Mystery & Thriller of 2023
"What Stratton does is take our assumptions and turns them upside down. Not So Perfect Strangers is a thrilling read with much to consider about marriage, prejudice, abuse and parenting." -The Book Reporter
"In addition to being a really good read, Not So Perfect Strangers is a smart criticism of the intersections of race, patriarchy, and privilege." -Book Riot
"Not So Perfect Strangers is a gripping, twisted ride! You think you know what's happening, but you don't. Chock full of surprises, this dark story unfolds perfectly right up to the last page."
-Samantha Downing, #1 International Bestselling author of For Your Own Good
"I was delighted to be caught in the crosshairs of this deliciously devious cat-and-mouse game between two strikingly different, but equally magnetic women as they duked it out for justice, revenge, love, and power. This one keeps the reader guessing until the very end."
-Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
484 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4549-6073-7 (9781454960737)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
L.S. Stratton is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author and former crime newspaper reporter who has written more than a dozen books under different pen names in just about every genre from thrillers to romance to historical fiction. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their daughter, and their tuxedo cat.