Invasive Species
A Novel
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- Pedido anticipado
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- Se espera: 14 abr 2026
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- USD 14.99
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- Pedido anticipado
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- USD 14.99
Descripción editorial
“Dark and delectable. I gobbled this book up and enjoyed every last bite.“
—Kirsten Miller, author of The Change and The Women of Wild Hill
The women in Cold Harbor all have something to prove, and they'll have to do it in a world full of monsters.
Something’s not right in Cold Harbor—more so than usual. While this sleepy small town has seen its fair share of monsters in cheating husbands and leering bosses, none are as hungry as Mrs. Smith. The mysterious resident has finally emerged from her crumbling mansion on the hill, mesmerizing the townspeople with her beauty. Her secret? Nine human sacrifices to feed her immortality.
Natalie Scott is more worried about Mrs. Smith blocking her first real estate sale—the one that will take her from stay-at-home mom to working woman extraordinaire. She's eager to prove herself in a world where the social mores of 1980s suburbia reign, where she's expected to keep a magazine-perfect home and raise beautiful children, all while sticking to her husband's budget. Natalie's two best friends are facing their own demons, and Mrs. Smith and her deep, dark woods are an easy scapegoat for everyone's problems.
But Natalie's twelve-year-old daughter, Jill, and her Icelandic housekeeper, Una, can sense something deeper at play. Armed with library books and a whole lot of grit, Jill and Una team up to save the town once and for all. But as the rest of Cold Harbor sinks into anger, fear, and jealousy, they’ll have to confront the question: What does it really mean to be a monster?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adams (the Book Retreat Mystery series) skillfully blends a satire of suburban life in 1980s Long Island with horror as several women clash with Mrs. Smith, a creepy recluse with outsize influence in their small town. Mrs. Smith is actually a monster, the Mother of Eels, who, when she swims, is "a harpoon in animal form." Her neighbors, unaware of her true nature, set out to prevent Mrs. Smith from foiling their various plans. Natalie Scott, for instance, hopes her new occupation as a real estate broker will free her from the drudgery of being a housewife, but the decrepit state of Mrs. Smith's mansion threatens the market value of homes in the neighborhood. Elaine Bernstein wants her son Charles's bar mitzvah to be spectacular enough to make his schoolmates desperate to attend, but she needs Mrs. Smith's permission for a fireworks display. As these women work to get Mrs. Smith to change her ways, she seeks to "devour the flesh of nine man-children" so that she can be reborn in the tradition of her ancestors. Only Icelandic housekeeper Una Einarsson, who believes in sea monsters, and Natalie's 12-year-old daughter, Jill, stand in her way. Adams crafts a humorous portrait of small town life and tops off the fast-paced plot with a satisfying ending that doesn't pull punches. This impresses.
