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Layne Fargo has Master’s degrees in theater and library science. She’s a Pitch Wars mentor and a member of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.
Genres: Mystery
Layne Fargo recommends
Follow Me (2020)
Kathleen Barber
"In this twisty thriller about every woman's worst online nightmare, Barber expertly explores complex issues of privacy, voyeurism, and consent while keeping the pages turning with heart-pounding, all-too-plausible suspense."
Take Me Apart (2020)
Sara Sligar
"Sara Sligar’s obsession-worthy debut combines the penetrating insight of the best art criticism with the seductive menace of a modern Gothic romance. Take Me Apart is my favorite kind of thriller: masterfully paced and psychologically precise, with subtle twists that reveal themselves like a developing photograph."
Wonderland (2020)
Zoje Stage
"Zoje Stage's foreboding sophomore novel combines the bone-chilling paranoia of The Shining with the uncanny suspense of Suspiria. Just as deliciously unsettling as her unforgettable debut, Wonderland is a must-read for horror and thriller fans."
Behind the Red Door (2020)
Megan Collins
"Megan Collins is the master of emotionally resonant, deeply personal suspense fiction where the small details are just as chilling as the dramatic turns. Behind the Red Door is gripping and gorgeously-written and, like her stellar debut The Winter Sister, I'm certain this book will haunt me for years to come."
Somewhere in the Dark (2020)
R J Jacobs
"This pulse-pounding thriller, [with an]unforgettable heroine, as heartbreaking as she is chilling, and Jacobs's evocative writing makes you feel like you're breathing in the sweltering Nashville air. Somewhere in the Dark is expertly plotted, emotionally satisfying, and not to be missed!"
The Watcher (2020)
(Kateri Fisher, book 1)
Jennifer Pashley
"The Watcher is a taut literary thriller about desperation, desire, and what people are capable of when they've got nothing left to lose. Pashley's masterful prose makes your heart ache and your pulse pound for every single character populating this chilly, unforgiving--and unforgettable--world."
The Lady Upstairs (2020)
Halley Sutton
"Sharp as a stiletto and twice as sexy, The Lady Upstairs is the smart, sultry noir we need right now. Sutton's feminist femme fatale heroine will seduce and intoxicate you, and you'll love every second of it."
Girl, 11 (2021)
Amy Suiter Clarke
"GIRL, 11 is a chilling, expertly-constructed thriller that strikes the perfect balance between page-turning twists and piercing commentary on the true cost of crime. If you devoured I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, Amy Suiter Clarke’s debut is about to be your new obsession."
The Darkest Flower (2021)
(Allison Barton, book 1)
Kristin Wright
"he Darkest Flower is a deliciously nasty drama about the dark side of motherhood, with an antiheroine you’ll love to loathe and wicked wit dripping from every line. Clear your schedule, because you won’t be able to put this one down until you reach the scandalous and oh-so-satisfying conclusion!"
Girl One (2021)
Sara Flannery Murphy
"Sara Flannery Murphy’s Girl One is both a heart-pounding, bingeworthy thriller and a riveting exploration of creation, consent, and the power of sisterhood. Don’t miss this compelling new entry to the feminist literary canon!"
Walking Through Needles (2021)
Heather Levy
"An unflinching and unforgettable look at the darkest side of desire from a fearless new voice in crime fiction. This book will get under your skin and stay there forever."
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (2021)
Ashley Winstead
"With its compelling puzzlebox structure and delightfully ruthless cast of characters, this twisty dark academia thriller will have you flipping pages like you’re pulling an all-nighter to cram for a final. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is required reading for fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Amy Gentry's Bad Habits."
The Other Me (2021)
Sarah Zachrich Jeng
"An ingenious twist on the domestic thriller...This assured, compelling debut will leave you nostalgic for all the lives you’ve never lived."
Hello, Transcriber (2021)
Hannah Morrissey
"Hannah Morrissey's precise, lyrical prose, chilling sense of atmosphere, and talent for crafting sexual tension just as twisted as the central crime make her haunting debut Hello, Transcriber a unique and exciting new entry in the contemporary crime genre."
The Perfect Escape (2022)
Leah Konen
"The Perfect Escape is the type of captivating, masterfully-constructed thriller you'll consume in a breathless rush-and then flip right back to the beginning to figure out how the author pulled it all off. Konen keeps the shocking twists coming while wringing nail-biting tension out of even the smallest moments. I couldn't put it down!"
I Am Margaret Moore (2022)
Hannah Capin
"Sinister, sultry, and steeped in rage, I Am Margaret Moore is like a classical tragedy remixed with a Lana Del Rey track. Capin's signature poetic, pulse-pounding prose is just as indelible as the ferocious girls she writes about."
The Ingenue (2022)
Rachel Kapelke-Dale
"Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an indisputable virtuoso of artful, propulsive suspense driven by the desires of complex female characters. In The Ingenue, she skillfully remixes classic fairy tale and Gothic themes to create an enthralling exploration of what the world does to ambitious women, and what happens when they take their power back. Saskia's stunning coda will ring in your head long after you turn the final page."
Someone Had to Do It (2022)
Amber and Danielle Brown
"Amber and Danielle Brown's debut is a juicy, brilliant treat of a thriller that combines sexy fashion-world glamour with salient points about privilege, racism, and the corrosive effects of extreme wealth. Somehow, Someone Had to Do It manages to be both a scathing critique of our late-stage capitalist hellscape, and the perfect mental escape from it. I couldn't put it down!"
Such Pretty Flowers (2023)
K L Cerra
"A lush, seductive Southern Gothic that's deliciously queer in every sense of the word. Holly and Maura's mutual obsession made me shiver and sweat in equal measure, and Cerra's gift for gorgeous, gruesome atmosphere had me spellbound. If your countdown to Halloween starts midwinter, this is the perfect book for you."
The Writing Retreat (2023)
Julia Bartz
"Julia Bartz's shrewd, suspenseful debut takes the typical writer's anxieties and obsessions and transforms them into a pulse-pounding, impossible to put down thriller. THE WRITING RETREAT is bonkers in the best way, and it left me with a brutal case of author envy."
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