Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2022
336 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
An utterly delicious debut thriller that tells the story of the most likable murderess you will ever meet, perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Jessica Knoll.
"I could just kill you right now!" It's something we've all thought at one time or another. But Ruby has actually acted on it. Three times, to be exact.
Though she may be a murderer, Ruby is not a sociopath. She is an animal-loving therapist with a thriving practice. She's felt empathy and sympathy. She's had long-lasting friendships and relationships, and has a husband, Jason, whom she adores. But the homicide detectives at Miami Beach PD are not convinced of her happy marriage. When we meet Ruby, she is in a police interrogation room, being accused of Jason's murder. Which, ironically, is one murder that she did not commit, though a scandal-obsessed public believes differently. As she undergoes questioning, Ruby's mind races back to all the details of her life that led her to this exact moment, and to the three dead bodies in her wake. Because though she may not have killed her husband, Ruby certainly isn't innocent.
Alternating between Ruby's memories of her past crimes and her present-day fight to clear her name, Blood Sugar is a twisty, clever debut with an unforgettable protagonist who you can't help but root for—an addicting mixture of sour and sweet.
"Rothchild makes her fiction debut with a mesmerizing thriller...Rothchild does a terrific job keeping readers wondering about Simon's reliability, and pulls off the considerable challenge of engendering sympathy for an unrepentant killer. Vivid prose is another plus...Jeff Lindsay fans will have a hard time not devouring this standout effort in one sitting." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Rothchild gives readers an unreliable narrator who truly lives up to the moniker...A compelling and entertaining psychological thriller." - Kirkus Reviews
"It's rare that I read a book where I love everything about it! Ruby is a one-of-a-kind protagonist—book smart and street smart, delightfully self-righteous with a healthy balance of Oops! and I Got This. She makes rules to live by, and breaks rules when other people fail her standards for acceptable human behavior. I had the feeling I was reading the world's best diary—relatable, witty, unpredictable—the prose flows merrily along, full of delicious details. Truly, Blood Sugar is one of the most entertaining novels I've ever read. I'll never forget Ruby, the ethical assassin." - Zoje Stage, bestselling author of Baby Teeth
"Unsettling from its outset and engrossing to its very end, Blood Sugar pulls the reader deep into the mind of its highly intelligent, obsessively organized protagonist — an accomplished woman who just so happens to leave a trail of dead bodies in her wake. Never before have I cared so much for such an untrustworthy character." - Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told
"Inventive, engrossing, and wicked, Blood Sugar is the tale of a woman who just can't seem to stop killing people. But she would never hurt her own husband—right? Ruby Simon is perhaps the most relatable murderer since Dexter. I found her story disturbingly fun." - Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold
This information about Blood Sugar was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sascha Rothchild is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, who has written and produced lauded shows such as GLOW, The Bold Type, The Baby-Sitters Club, and The Carrie Diaries. In 2015, she was named one of Variety's "10 TV Writers to Watch." Rothchild has written for LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, Elle, and the Miami Herald, and adapted her article, "How to Get Divorced by 30" into both a memoir and a screenplay for Universal Studios. She graduated from the honors program of Boston College summa cum laude, with a major in theater and screenwriting. Blood Sugar is her debut novel.
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