Paper Cut - by Rachel Taff (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Darkly addictive with a blistering pace and puzzle-box structure" --Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

A page-turning suspense debut about a woman infamous for escaping a cult as a teenager, who finds her future threatened when dangerous secrets come back to haunt her--perfect for fans of Jessica Knoll and The Girls.

Everybody knows the story. Nobody knows the truth...

Lucy Golden is a true-crime icon, infamous for the murder she committed while escaping a California cult twenty years ago. But as everyone in Los Angeles knows, fame is fleeting, and Lucy and her story are always just one news cycle away from obscurity. Not to mention, she's fending off a stalker and moderating an icy feud between her acclaimed photographer mother and her scandalous rock star sister. Worst of all, online trolls are asking increasingly threatening questions about the legendary crime. Questions that could tear her life apart.

So when a hotshot documentarian makes her case the subject of his next film, Lucy sees a chance to silence any doubters once and for all. But as filming begins, she must return to the California desert and come face-to-face with a cast of players from her torrid history. Of course, the past is never what it seems, and long-buried secrets soon collide with present-day threats. Can Lucy stop her critics from digging up the truth before it's too late? And how far will she go to protect the story she's been telling--and selling--all along?

Told in a narrative split between the present day and Lucy's hit memoir about her fated summer in the cult, Paper Cut combines psychological suspense with coming-of-age Californian cult noir and a sharp examination of the true-crime phenomenon. As incisive as it is propulsive, this mesmerizing debut will keep readers hooked until the last page.

Review Quotes

"Darkly addictive with a blistering pace and puzzle-box structure, Paper Cut takes all the juiciest elements of true crime and assembles them in a dazzling new constellation. Elegant and smart, readers will find Taff's debut as intoxicating as the cultish outpost at its core, and just as terrifying, too. An absolutely stunning crime novel." -- Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

"Haunting and propulsive, Rachel Taff's Paper Cut delves into the darker side of what makes an artist, who gets a voice and why the pursuit of the truth is often the most treacherous path. This is a sharp debut with a broken yet beating heart, splashed against the trainwreck allure of true crime as a genre, where trauma is mined for entertainment, marking the steep price we all pay for admission." -- Rachel Koller Croft, USA Today bestselling author of Stone Cold Fox

"Propulsive, poignant, and laced with gorgeous prose, Paper Cut has everything I want in a thriller. It's a debut that sings with truth and sizzles with twists, forcing the reader to examine their own relationship with art and true-crime-as-entertainment. Rachel Taff is a new auto-buy author for me." -- Olivia Muenter, USA Today bestselling author of Such a Bad Influence

"Paper Cut is so intoxicating and unputdownable that I basically absconded from society until I finished. Rachel Taff has crafted an unforgettable thriller that sears and redeems in equal measure." -- Ruth Madievsky, nationally bestselling author of All-Night Pharmacy

"Thought provoking and entertaining. I couldn't put it down. A twisty-turny and satisfying novel. An exceptional debut." -- Sascha Rothchild, author of Blood Sugar

"Rachel Taff's psychologically astute debut Paper Cut enthralled me with its twisty revelations and immersive storytelling. In tautly written alternating timelines of past and present, Lucy Golden's secrets are carefully unraveled. An utterly fascinating meditation on the perils of fame and the desire to control the story of your life at all costs." -- Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

"Smart, twisty, and evocative. Paper Cut drew me in with its Hollywood personalities, desert cultists, and buried secrets, but it kept me reading with its insights into the nature of art and family. I tore through Paper Cut in a single weekend, transported to its noirish west coast settings and enthralled by Taff's masterful storytelling. The kind of book you thrust in your best friend's hand so that you can discuss: what's the difference between our lies and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive?" -- Kate Brody, author of Rabbit Hole

"Dark, shocking and impossible to put down. It's a long time since I've read a book where I've had to keep sneaking off during the day to read a bit more, like a teenager! Fantastic." -- Emma Curtis, author of The Babysitter

"Paper Cut is razor-sharp, dark, and propulsive. Rachel Taff exposes the shadows beneath survival and celebrity--the stories we tell to stay free, and the lies that warp our days. Mesmerizing and unflinching, gripping and twisty, I'd follow Lucy Golden anywhere. An explosive debut from a bold new talent." -- Chelsea Bieker, bestselling author of Madwoman and Godshot

"What a scorcher! So evocative is Rachel Taff's desert setting that I swear I could feel the sand between my teeth. Paper Cut is a dishy yet razor sharp exploration of how far people will go to preserve fame, power, and our darkest secrets. This one is not to be missed." -- Stephanie Wrobel, internationally bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold