Cruelty Free
A Novel
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“Deliciously vicious and unsettlingly hilarious, Cruelty Free is a nasty, thrilling Hollywood take-down for the ages.” —JENNIFER THORNE, author of Diavola
A disgraced movie star returns to Hollywood 10 years after the kidnapping of her young daughter intent on seeking revenge, for fans of Monika Kim and Rachel Yoder.
NOTHING FEELS BETTER THAN REVENGE.
Ten years ago, Lila Devlin was an A-list actress with a movie star husband and a beautiful baby girl, Josie. When Josie was kidnapped out of her home and never seen again, Lila’s previously pristine public image twisted into that of an Unfit Mother. Driven mad by the hungry press, incompetent cops, and relentless true crime–obsessed “fans,” she disappeared into anonymity.
Now, Lila Devlin returns to LA with a grand vision for a radical new skincare brand to reinvent herself and honor Josie’s legacy. She's prepared to move into the next chapter of her life with forgiveness in her heart, when an encounter with a parasitic blogger ends with him dead. Lila suddenly discovers forgiveness isn’t nearly as satisfying as a body hitting the floor.
With the help of her devoted publicist Sylvie, Lila begins a relentless, blood-soaked hunt through LA. Giving her skincare the edge it needs, they introduce a secret ingredient—revenge-sourced—from the bodies piling up. But as the company’s success skyrockets and Lila begins unraveling the truth behind her daughter’s kidnapping, her murderous side hustle threatens the life she’s painstakingly rebuilt.
Both a striking portrayal of grief and womanhood, and a twisting, cynical satire on celebrity and toxic beauty standards, Cruelty Free is an ambitious debut from a talented star on the rise.
“Wildly twisted, razor-sharp, and ultimately heartbreaking, Cruelty Free is as much a novel about the fullness of grief as it is about the hollowness of vengeance." —LING LING HUANG, author of Natural Beauty
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Glenn's sharp-toothed debut, former Hollywood starlet Lila Devlin returns to Los Angeles to launch a skincare brand 10 years after the kidnapping and murder of her infant daughter drove her out of town. Public response to her beauty industry turn is initially unenthusiastic despite the best efforts of her publicist, Sylvie Lightly, whose own ill-treatment in Hollywood bonds the women together. When a business meeting takes a grisly turn, Lila discovers a deep thirst for vengeance against the L.A. elite who turned their back on her, the media who preyed on her, and the fans who wouldn't respect her privacy. At Sylvie's suggestion, she also finds the surprise missing ingredient that takes her skincare line from good to great: collagen harvested from her murder victims. After a somewhat slow and aimless start, the pace picks up and the plot finds its footing as Lila embarks on a double life as a beauty guru and serial killer. Along the way, Glenn works in interview transcripts and article excerpts, giving the novel a true crime feel. There have been many horror novels exploring the toll that celebrity status and beauty standards take on women, but this fun and gory tale stands out from the pack. It's as vicious and unforgiving as Hollywood itself.
