Prom Mom
'Mesmerising' Irish Times
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3.3 • 6 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR
WINNER OF THE CRIMEFEST eDUNNIT AWARD FOR BEST ePUB CRIME NOVEL
'Lippman is an absolute master of plot and timing, and I would follow her anywhere - even to the prom.' EMMA STRAUB
'It's deranged and dark and surprising at times. A perfect psychological thriller.' 5* reader review
'When I was seventeen, I gave birth to a baby in a hotel bathroom while attending the prom.'
Two decades ago, Amber Glass's life changed forever. No-one had even known she was pregnant - including Joe, her date.
Afterwards, she left town for good - and hasn't seen Joe since. But she knows he hasn't left, that he's working for his father's real estate company, married to a cosmetic surgeon. Child free.
Now Amber is back, and as the two of them tentatively start to renew their once unlikely relationship, will their secrets and motivations finally destroy everyone around them?
Inspired by a true story, this guessing game of a novel explodes with feeling and menace.
'I read this acid-dipped beauty in two desperate sittings ... it moves so fast and so skillfully, you don't fully grasp what it's really saying (about men, women, desire) until its final stunning pages.' MEGAN ABBOTT
'She is simply a brilliant novelist.' GILLIAN FLYNN
'A very special kind of twisted genius.' SARAH HILARY
'One of the best crime novelists writing today.' PAULA HAWKINS
'Lippmann is fast creating a new genre-busting category full of remarkable writing and dazzling plot lines.' Daily Mail
'Laura Lippman is one of my favourite writers.' MINDY KALING
What readers are saying:
***** 'It's deranged and dark and surprising at times. A perfect psychological thriller.'
***** 'Prom Mom is a fantastically clever meditation on privilege and power.'
***** 'Cleverly plotted with brilliantly plausible characters and a fantastic twist you will not see coming.'
***** 'What a fantastic read! So many layers and twists, in fact, the ending twist blew me away.'
***** 'A pitch perfect, ice cold thriller, Prom Mom is utterly devoid of cliché.'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This gripping thriller from Lippman (Dream Girl) centers on the codependent relationships between the charming Joe Simpson and the women trapped in his orbit. Prom night 1997 at Baltimore's Towson High School ends in the shocking death of a newborn baby, found in the girls' restroom near the mother (and Joe's date), a barely conscious Amber Glass. Though she has no recollection of what happened, Amber is arrested and swiftly convicted of manslaughter. While Amber is in prison, Joe meets and marries Meredith, whom he cheats on regularly. After starting her life over in New Orleans post-prison, Amber decides to return to Baltimore for the first time in more than 20 years to open an art gallery—when she does, she and Joe fall back into a relationship. By then, the Covid-19 pandemic is in full swing, dooming Joe's hopes for the local shopping center he recently purchased. With Amber's help, he concocts a scheme to bail himself out before he meets financial ruin, which goes predictably awry. Lippman works up a slow burn, gently teasing out a game of cat and mouse between Joe and Amber that comes into full focus toward the end of the novel. Readers who persevere will reach a devilishly satisfying conclusion.
Customer Reviews
Not that much of a surprise ending
As a Christian I was offended by the language in this book,especially the narrative from the Plastic surgeon. Also so ,any modern day themes that are creeping into everyday language and being normalised. I don’t think any blurbs or reviews will warn others readers not to read this if you want to avoid these types of ‘themes’