Marion - by Leah Rowan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Named a Most Anticipated Book of Summer by People, Goodreads, Variety, BuzzFeed, CrimeReads, SheReads, and Scary Mommy - An Indie Next Pick - A LibraryReads Selection

"The perfect read for Summerween." --People

"A fiendishly clever feminist remix of Psycho. Rowan's bold take on Hitchcock's classic benefits from wicked humor, a well-rounded heroine fueled by righteous anger, and a breakneck pace." --Publishers Weekly

NORMAN WAS HER FIRST...

Marion is in deep. She's stolen money from the Manhattan ad agency where she works in a desperate bid to help her sister escape an abusive marriage, but the bus breaks down before she can make it to Saratoga Springs. It's late at night, and the only place with vacancies is an old set of cabins on the outskirts of town. She pays for a room in cash, and ends up chatting with Norm, the young innkeeper who's handsome, charming and a touch hung-up on his elderly mother. Back in her room, she steps into the shower, scrubbing off the late-summer heat, when the curtain is pulled back...

Norm Billings is there with a knife. He raises his arm to strike, but before he does, Marion knees him in the balls, grabs the knife, and stabs the life out of him. Now, she's covered in blood, and she's a woman on the run--not just a thief, but a killer, too. Where will she go? How will she save both herself and her sister? And what mysteries will she uncover as she does?

In Psycho, Hitchcock shocked audiences when he killed off his protagonist. But what if the leading lady had fought back? Marion offers an alternate history of the most famous dead blonde to ever grace the silver screen. Only this time, the knife is in her hands--and she's no victim.

Review Quotes

"Psycho gets a feminist facelift in this punchy thriller that reframes Hitchock's masterpiece as both a revenge fantasy and a surprisingly sweet ode to sisterhood. Witty, muscular, and crowd-pleasing to no end." --Publishers Weekly, Editor's Pick

"Diabolically clever...Writing with a deliciously grim sense of wit as sharp as the knife Marion wields, Rowan deftly ratchets up the tension in her ingeniously inventive plot to the breaking point while simultaneously detonating several plot bombshells that Hitchcock himself would surely applaud. But beyond being a superior thriller/slasher blend, the book is also a thoughtful exploration of the bonds that connect sisters, as well as sisterhood writ large." --Library Journal (starred review)

"A wonderfully taut story that is more than just its revisionist premise." --Variety

"A bloody tale of female rage and empowerment that is one of the most astonishing, exhilarating novels you're likely to read this year." --BookTrib

"This modern twist on Hitchcock's classic Psycho presents an alternative story where the heroine lives, and is the perfect read for Summerween." --People

"A gleefully macabre reinterpretation of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho...and an amped-up feminist revenge fantasy." --Booklist

"An incredible feminist revisionist piece of fiction that not only allows this iconic character to take control of her own destiny, but also deftly pays homage to the original by reimagining what she could have been." --Bookreporter.com

"A fiendishly clever feminist remix of Psycho. Rowan's bold take on Hitchcock's classic benefits from wicked humor, a well-rounded heroine fueled by righteous anger, and a breakneck pace. Readers will want to check in to the Billings for a long stay." --Publishers Weekly

"With her deft prose, taut plotting and page-turning twists, Rowan gets her inner Hitchcock on and then some." --Lansing City Pulse

"Rowan takes the basic elements of Psycho and reimagines them in ways that no one, until now, has done ... with a sly smile, a sense of humor that is not just dark, but coal black, strong irony, breakneck pacing, and, it seems, a bit of glee. Marion is wicked, wicked fun!" --Los Angeles Public Library

"An unpredictable, twist-heavy thriller." --Saratoga Today

"What if Marion Crane hadn't died in the shower? In this chilling reimagining of Psycho, Leah Rowan asks what happens when survival hardens into something darker. Both homage and reinvention, Marion delivers spine-tingling echoes of Hitchcock while charting a bold, bloody new path for a heroine transformed into a predator. A fierce story of raw female strength. Hitchcock would be proud." --Stephanie Wrobel, USA Today bestselling author of The Hitchcock Hotel

"Clear your schedule, because once you start reading this wildly original Hitchcock retelling, you won't be able to stop. Tense, thrilling, and packed with twists, Marion is a brilliantly constructed thrill ride from a bold new voice in horror. Every time you think you've got it figured out, buckle up--Rowan is five steps ahead, and you won't believe what she's got in store." --Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here

"Within minutes of reading Marion, I knew it was going to be one of my books of the year. In this powerful novel inspired by Psycho, Marion challenges, questions and subverts every female victim stereotype we've either consciously or subconsciously absorbed in the thriller genre and left me thinking long after I turned the last page. Rowan hooks the reader from the very first sentence with a narrative voice that compels and captivates at every turn. Whip-smart, surprising and perfectly plotted with pacing that left me spinning, I can't recommend it enough. A brilliant novel that begs to be discussed." --Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium

About the Author