After journalist Joan Lurie publishes an investigation of a notorious newspaper tycoon and sexual predator, she is brutally attacked and moves into a highly secure apartment called the Refuge. Two of Joan's neighbors have also cloistered themselves at the Refuge after brushes with nefarious activity, and they all struggle to stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to make sure the truth is never uncovered.
The final third of the book is a real rollercoaster ride ... Goodman saves some great plot twists for the final pages, including a big one that I never saw coming ... a timely novel but also one that connects the sins of the past to those of the present.
Updating gothic tropes in her latest, two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman ironically plants a #MeToo-investigating journalist in a converted Magdalene laundry called the Refuge, in upper Manhattan ... stories mingle in a mesmerizing narrative that culminates in a poignant ending to a brilliant journey. Gothic? Note the phantom lye and bleach stench and wait for it! Make sure fans of Shari Lapena and Alison Gaylin get their hands on this one.
Joan’s discovery of a link between her book and Lillian raises the stakes. The plot takes many terrifying twists and turns en route to the surprising climax. Those with a taste for the gothic will be richly rewarded.
