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Published Apr 2023
368 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
Killing Eve meets Sharp Objects in this lush, savage Southern Gothic about two women: a fledgling murderer and the cop hell-bent on catching her.
Two hours before he vanished, Mark Dixon stole a glass of wine. That's what bartender Sophie Braam told the cops when they questioned her about the customer whose mutilated body was just found. What she didn't tell them is that she's the one who killed him.
Officer Nora Martin is new to the Bellair Police Department and trying very hard to learn the ropes from Detective Murphy while ignoring all the men in the department snapping about a diversity hire. When she meets Sophie, they build an uneasy camaraderie over shared frustrations.
As winter slides into spring and bodies start piling up, Nora begins to suspect that something's not quite right with the unnerving, enigmatic bartender. But will she be able to convince Murph, or will he keep laughing off the idea that the serial killer haunting their little town is a woman?
A crackling cat-and-mouse thriller set against the verdant backdrop of small-town Virginia, Meagan Jennett's You Know Her probes the boundaries of female friendship and the deadly consequences.
"[S]tellar...The author skillfully explores Sophie's descent into insanity as her frustration with men—their unwelcome touches, snidely sexual comments, entitled movements—grows into rage then into an overwhelming violent hatred. Initial snippets of humor add levity as the story shifts increasingly into hard-boiled mode. Jennett is a writer to watch." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Highly recommended, especially for anyone following the growing thriller trend of female serial killers." —Booklist (starred review)
"The deliriously vengeful narration compels the reader to continue but is bloated with so much grotesquely beautiful imagery and metaphor that the language often impedes narrative momentum. A fascinating debut crime novel that is more despairing than satisfying." —Kirkus Reviews
"Suspenseful and surprising, equal parts lyrical and chilling, You Know Her draws us relentlessly―and eagerly―into the cat-and-mouse duel between a young cop and a budding serial killer. A crackling debut." —Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award–winning author of the UNSUB series
"With a naturalist's soul and a killer's heart, Meagan Jennett has delivered a debut that seethes with graceful rage. Angry, smart, propulsive―You Know Her is an unforgettable crime novel." —Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women
"You Know Her shines a light on the many ways women shoulder the emotional burdens of the world, but in this clever and sharp novel, it's the men who pay the consequences. Incredibly dark, and with writing that drips pure emotion, You Know Her will haunt your dreams at night and have you checking over your shoulder during the day." —Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies I Tell
This information about You Know Her 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.
Meagan Jennett is an escaped bartender who traded in crafting cocktails for crafting her own tales. She is a doctoral candidate in fine arts at The University of Glasgow. Her work has been published in From Glasgow to Saturn, Honey & Lime Lit, and Skirting Around Magazine. You Know Her is her first novel.
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