Friends, I thought I wasn’t interested in a horse book; I was so wrong. Here’s what I learned when I raced through this thriller in a single day: “Horse girls are the toughest girls around. You know why? They make a thousand-pound wild animal do whatever they ask.” And sometimes they ask for the unconscionable. I was hooked from page one: I wanted to know what would happen next, of course, but the story is also anchored by a strong emotional core revolving around ambition, sisterly rivalry, parenting angst, and devastating secrets. The stakes are high, the egos huge, the characters largely unlikable, and the horses untameable. I loved it. For fans of Megan Abbott’s Dare Me and Ramona Ausubel’s The Last Animal for its similar emotional core.

Brigid says: My favorite book of summer 2024! I couldn’t get enough of this twisty globetrotting thriller with Mr & Mrs. Smith and Killing Eve vibes. Eva and Jonathan are contract killers who cross paths on a sleeper train, spending one passionate night together. Things get wild when they both are tasked with taking each other out but can’t deny their mutual attraction. The powder keg of emotions leads to a couple of very high stakes and steamy situations, including a memorable one in the Palace of Versailles. The pages fly by in this ultimate cat-and-mouse chase. Content warnings apply. (Open door.)

From the publisher: "When her favorite true crime podcast host goes missing, an adrift young woman sets out to investigate and plunges headfirst into the wild backcountry of Northern California and her own dangerous obsession. Sera loves true crime podcasts. They give her a sense of control in a world where women just like her disappear daily. She's sure they are preparing her for something. So when Rachel, her favorite podcast host, goes missing, Sera knows it's time to act. Rachel has always taught her to trust her instincts. Sera follows the clues hidden in the episodes to an isolated ranch outside Rachel's small hometown to begin her search. She's convinced her investigation will make Rachel so proud. But the more Sera digs into this unfamiliar world, the more off things start to feel. Because Rachel is not the first woman to vanish from the ranch, and she won't be the last... Rachel did try to warn her."