The Housewarming - by Kristin Offiler (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In a haunting novel of psychological suspense, a summer getaway gone wrong rips apart a group of lifelong friends, thrusting their story into the true crime spotlight--and potentially their secrets, too.

For five friends vacationing on Block Island, it was a summer to remember. How could they forget it when only four made it back to the mainland?

Now, half a decade after Zoe Gilbert's unsolved disappearance, Callie Sutter invites estranged friends Meg, Tess, and Lindsey--the last to see Zoe on that fateful trip--to reunite on the anniversary of the mystery that tore them apart. Back on Block Island, Callie reasons, they can come together again, memorialize Zoe, allay old resentments and recriminations, and put the past to rest. But it won't be so easy. Patricia Adele, a true crime podcaster who once made a name for herself by casting suspicion on Zoe's surviving friends all those years ago, is most eager for the reunion. She's resurfaced with a book proposal claiming to expose them all as cold-blooded liars and conspirators in a crime once and for all.

Driven by self-preservation, the women must reckon with their long-held secrets and shared history if they're to find out what really happened to Zoe on that hot August day. But will the truth set them free or condemn them all? No one is prepared to find out.

Review Quotes

"Original, exceptional, complex, brilliant, and an inherently fascinating, compelling read from start to finish, The Housewarming clearly demonstrates author Kristin Offiler's genuine master of the psychological suspense thriller genre." --Midwest Book Review

"Like a thunderstorm on a summer evening, The Housewarming is equal parts enchanting and ominous. Kristin Offiler's debut crackles with fierce honesty about the intricacies of female friendships and the dangers--and freedom--of long-held secrets coming to light. Sharp, suspenseful, and completely spellbinding." --Caitlin Mullen, author of the Edgar Award winner Please See Us

"An unsolved disappearance and withering public scrutiny test the complicated friendships of four young women in Kristin Offiler's The Housewarming, a slow-burn mystery full of surprises, nostalgia, and heart. The added pleasure of a sunny, opulent Block Island setting practically demands you bring this book to the beach." --Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of The Deepest Lake

"Suspenseful from start to finish, The Housewarming is a propulsive thriller about friendship, the unforgiving gaze of true crime obsessives, and how shockingly wrong we can be about other people--even those closest to us." --Tracy Sierra, author of the Fallon Book Club pick Nightwatching

"Kristin Offiler's slick and sizzling debut is that rare treat of a thriller: one replete with both unforeseen twists and complex, multilayered characters, characters who will just as soon break your heart as they will shock and scandalize you. Read this one with a signature Block Island-inspired cocktail at the ready and be prepared to not put it down until the final, gut-wrenching, saltwater-scented page." --Christa Carmen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Daughters of Block Island

"In this searing psychological thriller, the line between victim and perpetrator blurs as four friends face their worst nightmare: becoming the story everyone wants to solve. Kristin Offiler's stunning debut cuts through layers of deception with breathtaking precision and emotional perspicuity. This is psychological suspense at its most brilliant and unputdownable." --Chelsea Bieker, national bestselling author of Madwoman and Godshot