Salomé - by Leslie Baird (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Courtney notices Salome the moment she steps onto the plane. She's not usually influenced by others' charms, but there's something undeniable about Salome. She's magnetic, quicksilver, and, best of all for incurable Francophile Courtney, French. When Salome invites Courtney to her mother's town in northwestern France, derailing Courtney's trip to Paris, Courtney doesn't even have to think about it. But things are, almost immediately, a little odd. Despite feeling right at home with Salome, a house outfitted with cameras and the dark, watchful presence of Salome's mother haunts Courtney's visit. Courtney senses she should leave, but in Salome's presence she feels as if she's rediscovered the "French Courtney," an alternate version of herself who made a life in France. That is, until she starts to experience paralyzing nightmares, in which strange voices intone Don't open your eyes . . . and encounters Salome's charismatic stepfather Marco, whose pyramid-scheme vitamin company offers a tempting segue into an even more insidious group obsessed with eternal life. Or is it an actual cult? And how much does Salome really know? As a conspiracy unfurls, Courtney is torn between her loyalty to Salome and what might be the story of a lifetime, the kind that could make a journalist's career--if it doesn't kill her first."-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Smart, thoughtful, and sensual." --Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists

A gothic-tinged fever dream that reimagines the young American in France, Salomé follows an adrift journalist who accepts an alluring stranger's invitation to stay at her home in a small French town, only to uncover a dangerous family history that could bend the course of humanity.

Don't open your eyes...

Courtney notices Salomé the moment she steps onto the plane. She's magnetic, quicksilver, and, best of all for incurable Francophile Courtney, French. So when Salomé invites Courtney to her mother's town in northwestern France, Courtney doesn't even have to think about it.

But things are, almost immediately, surreal. Despite feeling right at home with Salomé, Courtney is confronted by a house outfitted with cameras and the dark, watchful presence of Salomé's mother. Courtney senses she should leave, but with Salomé she feels as if she's rediscovered the "French Courtney," an alternate version of herself who made a life in France.

That is, until she starts to experience paralyzing nightmares in which strange voices intone Don't open your eyes . . . and encounters Salomé's charismatic stepfather, Marco, whose pyramid-scheme vitamin company offers a tempting segue into an even more insidious group obsessed with eternal life. Or is it an actual cult? And how much does Salomé really know? As a conspiracy unfurls, Courtney is torn between her loyalty to Salomé and what might be the story of a lifetime, the kind that could make a journalist's career--if it doesn't kill her first.

A modern reclamation of the original femme fatale whose story, until now, has been almost exclusively told by men, Salomé is a tantalizing, feminist tale exploring power, loyalty, connection, and the measures we'll take to harness our deepest desires.

Review Quotes

One of CrimeReads' Best Psychological Thrillers and Debuts of May

"A feverish spiral of cultish ambition, family secrets and seductive reinvention." --BookTrib

"Baird's debut is a sultry summer thriller sure to thrill and seduce, even as it destroys (what I'm saying is, it lives up to the title) . . . Give this one to your niece before she heads off on gap year, or prepare to pull a Liam Neeson. I kid, I kid...but this book is still downright disturbing." --CrimeReads

"[A] femme fatale story like you've never heard-with a woman's touch at the helm." --Forbes.com

"[A] mind-bendingly good read . . . Baird's prose is gorgeous and lucid, weaving atmosphere with nuanced actions and thoughts . . . Salomé is complex -- fantastical and twisted, surprising and smart." --Chapter16.org

"The Biblical story of Salomé has seen many updates over the centuries, but it's never been viewed through a lens quite like what Leslie Baird is promising with this compelling debut." --Bloody Disgusting

"With literary thrillers increasingly leaning into body horror and class critique--much like The Substance did cinematically--Salomé arrives at precisely the right cultural moment. Author Leslie Baird understands that the most effective horror often wears a beautiful face." --Eulalie Magazine

"Fans of the cult-classic film Jennifer's Body, lovers of modern gothic fiction and those who studied abroad in Paris take note: Leslie Baird's debut novel, Salomé, may be your next favorite book. Salomé is a feminist retelling of the biblical tale of the daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod in exchange for the head of John the Baptist. Characterized in the Christian canon as a viperous femme fatale, Salomé is reimagined and granted depth and dimensionality by Baird. . . [A] maddening, fascinating whirlwind." --BookPage

"Baird's first outing offers plenty of well-executed and unexpected twists as well as timely themes. A perfect read for those who loved Sarah Pinborough's popular if polarizing Behind Her Eyes." --Booklist

"What begins as a tantalizing slow-burn transforms into a paranoia-fueled speculative thriller . . . This deserves credit for its ambition." --Publishers Weekly

"Salomé reinvents the gothic for 2026, blending the moodiness and suspense of the genre's origins with a modern social consciousness. Baird's novel explores lust and friendship alongside the perils of today's world: corporate and technological greed; the erosion of privacy; the widening wealth gap. The result is a smart, thoughtful, and sensual retelling of a classic tale." --Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists

"Reading this book feels like sitting on a velvet couch and drinking absinthe. Part gothic seduction, part cult psychology, Salomé reckons with how easily smart, searching women can be pulled toward the promise of transcendence . . . and what it costs when the fantasy talks back. I loved it." --Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of Wordslut, Cultish, and The Age of Magical Overthinking

"Set in a secluded French town, Salomé is a hauntingly seductive exploration of desire, grief, and avarice. Baird's lush, hypnotic prose had me in a trance from the very first page. A riveting debut!" --Monika Kim, internationally bestselling author of The Eyes are the Best Part

"Sexy, bold, and impossible to put down. Salomé is an exhilarating and original reimagining of the young American in France, told through a seductive friendship between two women. Leslie Baird builds suspense with remarkable control as she explores the delicious thrills and dangers of obsession." --Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair

"Baird's prose is a bit like descending into a Parisian catacomb--at once darkly terrifying, and somehow simultaneously, bewitching. Salome is equal parts viscerally sharp and cloyingly subtle; scenes of swiftly fading girlhood, with its nostalgia and romances, are met by unexpected interludes on the science of immortality and the peril of extremist ideologies, all blurring elegantly into a scintillating balm which belies the desperate, cathartic, honesty at the novel's center. The highest praise I can give any work of art, is that it has made me think. And Leslie's novel has given me thoughts for many years to come." --Eilish Quin, author of Medea

"Leslie Baird's debut is an alluring exploration of ambition, friendship, and secrets. If you had the chance to go on an unexpected adventure in a gorgeous place, wouldn't you consider taking it? Baird gives us this delicious opportunity from the first pages. This atmospheric, evocative novel will be a hit with readers everywhere. I can't wait to read what Baird writes next!" --Saumya Dave, author of The Guilt Pill

"Leslie Baird's Salomé is a gripping, sensual thriller about the perils of charm and unexpected connection. It explores the complicated space where hospitality threatens to tilt into control, where generosity cannot untangle itself from ulterior motives. Salomé is an engrossing debut novel about the impact of technological progress on family, mourning, and love." --Isle McElroy, author of People Collide

"A thrilling story of desire and deception set against the intoxicating backdrop of Paris. . . . A wild ride in every way--a seductive thriller where astral realms collide with bodily desires, where beauty masks malevolence, where science borders on sorcery, where nefarious billionaires reach new depths of depravity, and the line between victim and willing participant vanishes completely. Breathless, electric, and utterly consuming. I was addicted." --Lisa Gabriele, author of The Winters

"Wonderful and compelling, well-drawn and riveting. The book has everything--France, a mysterious town, a seductive friend/lover, a menacing mother, a cult--all moving toward a beautiful description of loss, being present, and how to live a life. A beautiful and original book!" --Karen E. Bender, author of Refund and The Words of Dr. L

About the Author

Leslie Baird is an author and ghostwriter. She holds an MFA in fiction from Sewanee, the University of the South, and lives in Europe. Salomé is her debut novel.