At the start of this disquieting suspense novel from bestseller Miranda (The Girl from Widow Hills), longtime Hollow's Edge resident Ruby Fletcher, who was convicted of the double murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett a year and a half earlier, returns after her conviction is overturned to the tight-knit lakeside community. Ruby allegedly sneaked into the couple's house one night, turned on the car in the garage, and opened an interior door, ensuring their death from carbon monoxide poisoning. Ruby assumes her old roommate, Harper Nash, will welcome her return, even after she tells Harper, "Someone's going to pay." Harper doesn't know whether Ruby is directing this threat at her, but after allowing Ruby to move back in, she begins to wonder: If Ruby isn't guilty, who is? What other secrets are the residents of Hollow's Edge hiding--and would they go so far as murder to protect them? The twists keep coming until the very last page. Agatha Christie fans will welcome this 21st-century update on the classic golden age village mystery. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (July)

Hollow's Edge, a gorgeous lakefront neighborhood, has a private pool, an online message board, and a reputation as a safe, family-oriented place. The neighbors are like family; they have each other's backs, know each other's secrets, and would always defend one another. Or would they? This riveting story opens with Ruby Fletcher's return home, after 14 months in prison for the Truett murders. When the Truetts--Hollow's Edge residents--were killed in their home, there was little forensic evidence, but everyone in the neighborhood pointed to Ruby. Now her conviction's been overturned, and Ruby's back, feeling powerful and confident. Neighbors are shocked and nervous at her return. Why is she back? For vengeance, or something else? And who is the real killer, if not Ruby? Harper Nash had been Ruby's friend and roommate, but even she had testified against Ruby in the Truett case. Now Harper's not sure what to believe about the murders, but she's set on finding the truth. VERDICT Another successful mystery thriller from Miranda (The Last House Guest). The perfect suburban setting; the secretive, quirky neighbors; three unsolved murders; and an Agatha Christie vibe make this whodunit an excellent beach read.--Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

Miranda, author of a raft of domestic thrillers, including All The Missing Girls (2016) and The Last House Guest (2019), has crafted another suspense story of almost unbearably sustained tension. This time she develops two overarching sources of fear. The first has to do the old standby of having a possible murderer living in your own home--and perhaps plotting to kill you. Narrator Harper Nash and Ruby Fletcher shared a house in a little college town before Ruby was convicted of murdering a neighboring couple. Now, Ruby's conviction has been overturned, and she's talked her way back into Harper's home, slowly infiltrating Harper's life. Every interaction between Harper and unwanted houseguest Ruby is loaded, especially since Harper testified against Ruby at her trial. The second, and truly brilliant, source of fear explores how a seemingly idyllic, tightly knit community can become a trap for its residents as social-media posts and surveillance cameras monitor and judge the residents' every move. Miranda, who makes the setting, where everyone knows one another and ends up fearing one another, all the more chilling for its seeming normality, is a master of misdirection and sudden plot twists, leading up to a wallop of an ending. A powerful, paranoid thriller.