For fans of the high-stakes tension of the New York Times bestsellers Luckiest Girl Alive and The Lying Game, comes โa brilliantly paced thriller that gets under your skin in the best possible wayโ (Megan Collins, author of The Winter Sister) about female ambition and what happens when fake violence draws real blood.
After years of struggling in the Chicago theater scene, ambitious actress Kira Rascher finally lands the role of a lifetime. The catch? The mercurial Malcolm Mercer is the director and heโs known for pushing his performers past their limitsโon stage and off.
Kiraโs convinced she can handle Malcolm, but the theaterโs cofounder, Joanna Cuyler, is another story. Joanna sees Kira as a threatโto her own thwarted artistic ambitions, her twisted relationship with Malcolm, and the shocking secret sheโs keeping about the upcoming production. But as opening night draws near, Kira and Joanna both come to the realization that Malcolmโs dangerous extremes are nothing compared to what theyโre capable of themselves.
An edgy, addictive, and fiendishly clever tale of ambition, deceit, and power suited for fans of the film Black Swan, Temper โrevels in its mind games, delivering twist after twist as it races toward a Shakespearian climax. The final page will leave you gaspingโ (Amy Gentry, author of Last Woman Standing).