That’s just the beginning of Marielle’s troubles, as Homeland Security soon determines she’s in danger and whisks her into the Witness Security Program, altering her identity—and publishing her obituary in the New York Times. Utterly alone and unsure of what the future holds, Marielle starts to wonder who she can trust, including the government officials supposedly looking out for her best interests. Wolverton (Stealing Angel) skillfully crafts Marielle's downfall from a lovely life spent working on her latest novel to a woman at wit’s end with no one to turn to, a transformation that’s made all the more unreal when Marielle notices her publisher advertising her latest novel, posthumously of course—a novel Marielle is adamant she didn’t write.

Readers will sympathize with Marielle as she’s whisked into what feels like a fiction novel—but ends up being her own life—and cheer her on in the hunt for the truth. When the lid finally blows off completely, Marielle is left to pick up the pieces, wondering if the real “Marielle Wing was [ever] coming back.” Ultimately, the experience, though terrifying, allows her to view life differently, “meet]ing] each day as the thing she had once dreaded, an empty page.”

Takeaway: Appealing thriller showcasing a strong female lead determined to recapture her life.

Comparable Titles: L.T. Ryan’s Noble Beginnings, Cara Black’s Murder at the Porte de Versailles.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-