In case you can't see the book cover from where you are sitting: this book by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a sequel to her 2021 thriller, The Plot. Which I reported on back in 2022.
At my age, I find myself starting sentences with "At my age…" more often. And this is no exception:
At my age, I don't retain memories of book plots all that well. But The Plot was kind of an exception, because its twists seemed unique, nasty, and (hence) memorable. I suppose I should recommend you read The Plot before you read this one, but I found myself wondering if that was really necessary.
Anyway, this book follows Anna, the widow of the first book's protagonist, best-selling author Jake. Who (spoiler, sorry) met his demise in that book. Anna is tempted into the writing game by Jake's agent and publisher; how hard could it be? So she writes The Aftermath, a seeming roman à clef based on Jake's sad end, inaccurately described. And, while not a blockbuster, her novel's respectable ghoulishness brings her immodest success.
Anna finds the writer's life pleasant enough, but an unexpected "gift" on her book tour threatens to ruin her career, and perhaps her cushy life. Anna turns detective in order to find the person or persons behind this anonymous danger; she's got to find the truth without revealing the truth, if that makes sense.
It's, yes, a page turner. And the plot is even darker and twistier than The Plot. I liked it a lot.
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