For fans of the high-stakes tension of the New York Times bestsellers Luckiest Girl Alive and The Lying Game, comes âa brilliantly paced thriller that gets under your skin in the best possible wayâ (Megan Collins, author of The Winter Sister) about female ambition and what happens when fake violence draws real blood.
After years of struggling in the Chicago theater scene, ambitious actress Kira Rascher finally lands the role of a lifetime. The catch? The mercurial Malcolm Mercer is the director and heâs known for pushing his performers past their limitsâon stage and off.
Kiraâs convinced she can handle Malcolm, but the theaterâs cofounder, Joanna Cuyler, is another story. Joanna sees Kira as a threatâto her own thwarted artistic ambitions, her twisted relationship with Malcolm, and the shocking secret sheâs keeping about the upcoming production. But as opening night draws near, Kira and Joanna both come to the realization that Malcolmâs dangerous extremes are nothing compared to what theyâre capable of themselves.
An edgy, addictive, and fiendishly clever tale of ambition, deceit, and power suited for fans of the film Black Swan, Temper ârevels in its mind games, delivering twist after twist as it races toward a Shakespearian climax. The final page will leave you gaspingâ (Amy Gentry, author of Last Woman Standing).