Book of the Week June 4, 2026
Nicola’s father has been arrested for a series of murders of women in her small town 20 years ago, including the killing of Nicola’s best friend. Nicola was even part of implicating her father, by participating in the To Catch a Killer podcast that uncovered his identity as the murderer. Now, Nic has lost her job teaching art, the house she grew up in is being foreclosed on, and the press is full of vultures. But a late night text inviting her to The Death Row Club retreat—members must be children of serial killers—brings the promise of support, community, and maybe even friends. The podcast host, Greer, herself the child of a serial killer, will also be at the retreat, with six other members. What Nic thinks will be a cozy support group weekend ends up with one of the group dead after a stranger to them, with valid credentials, appears. Given its alternating points of view and fractured timeline, readers will have to stay on their toes to keep up with this tense, tightly wound, and layered thriller in which each character seemingly has the motivation to kill. While Vasquez weaves in social commentary on the death penalty, the public’s fascination with serial killers, and the grief of the victims’ families, it hovers just below the surface of this unique and intricately crafted debut.—Dodie Ownes
