The Man - by Laura Sims (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, photography a private passion that fills her suburban days until her husband Tom comes home for dinner. And yet, she senses that her pictures are good. In them, she poignantly captures hidden moments of unsettling truth: a teenage girl crying amidst the revelry of a Labor Day parade; a red-lipsticked woman with her head thrown back, laughing, ready to devour the men standing rapt around her; her own reflection in the window of a liquor store, ghost-like among the glittering bottles. But Judith is unprepared for her professor Paul's astonished praise: "Stunning," he calls the images. "Extraordinary." She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Emboldened by Paul's encouragement, if not convinced by his entreaty for her to share her work with strangers, Judith moves beyond the confines of her staid neighborhood, first to other small towns, then to the city. Tom worries already about her going around on her own, so Judith doesn't tell him about the man who's begun to follow her. She knows him, too, or thinks she does: she's certain it's the same man who attacked and maimed her when she was a teenager, a secret she's kept even from her own husband. Judith can't imagine how or why the man has returned all these years later to torment her, but she's sure of his presence: the sound of his breathing on the phone, his hand on her elbow on a crowded street, his dark silhouette lurking in the frame of every self-portrait she takes. She's "a selfish fucking bitch," the man hisses, uncaring about whose pain or shame she commits to film, so long as the image pleases her. And he's right, Judith thinks. She could put her camera down at any time. Perhaps that would appease the man and keep her safe. But she can't; she won't. That is, until one dark night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own. Chilling, unexpected, and heart-poundingly propulsive, THE MAN is a masterful novel about the seduction of artistic freedom, the unease of suburban normalcy, and the inescapable fear of living as a woman constantly surveilled by men. Brilliantly conceived and elegantly constructed, Laura Sims's latest probes the very real dangers that lurk within the terrifying recesses of our own minds. For readers of Jean Hanff Korelitz, Patricia Highsmith, and Han Kang, THE MAN turns its own uncanny lens onto the relationships between men and women, photographers and subjects, pursuers and the pursued, and asks: through whose eyes do we see this world? And whose version of it do we believe?"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

PRAISED BY ANA REYES, MONA AWAD, ANDREA BARTZ, VANESSA CHAN, DANIELLE TRUSSONI, AND MORE!

"Fiercely intelligent and deeply chilling. . . . The perfect book club read." --Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You, a New York Times Best Thriller of the Year: a singular take on the psychological suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits.

The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. "Stunning," he calls her photos. "Extraordinary." She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.

Still, emboldened by Paul's encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighborhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.

Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man is a phenomenal and timely novel exploring the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom, and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind. The Man marks Laura Sims as an extraordinary talent at the top of her game; and this, her third novel, is her greatest achievement yet.

Review Quotes

One of Silent Book Club's Favorite Thrillers
One of PEOPLE's Best Books of July 2026
One of CrimeReads' Best Psychological Thrillers of July 2026
One of CrimeReads' Best Crime Novels, Mysteries and Thrillers of July 2026
One of The Real Book Spy's Must-Read Mystery & Suspense Novels of July 2026
One of Publishers Marketplace's "Buzz Books" Fiction for Spring/Summer 2026

"The Man by Laura Sims is an original and deftly crafted novel of unrelenting suspense the will resonate with readers who have themselves experienced (in the author's words) 'the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom, and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind'. Showcasing Sim's impressive and genuine flair for the kind of character and narrative driven style that is so apt for the psychological suspense thriller genre." --Midwest Book Review

"An engrossing, haunting thriller that explores society's reluctance to believe women." --PEOPLE Magazine

"The Man...is psychological suspense at its best." --The Times

"This book is one of the few stories I've ever read that successfully pulled off the mid-novel twist . . . Sims' latest profoundly captures the essence of Cicero's favored saying: cui bono? Who benefits, indeed." --CrimeReads

"Suffice it to say that [The Man] succeeds in its use of doubt and suspicion and in highlighting how youthful trauma can ripple through an entire life--sometimes by tragically inhibiting development, wellness and human thriving. There's also an undercurrent of misogyny in the story that feels legitimately menacing . . . Life is an oscillation of light and dark, of illumination and shadow, and so are people. In The Man, Sims explores this unsettling yet exhilarating swing in concrete and more abstract, philosophical ways." --NewCityLit

"A tale of parallel paranoia, obsession and craft. . . . Sims is at the top of her game. . . . Inventive, bold and deeply unsettling, The Man reads like a Hitchcock thriller about power and obsession, but with a feminist bent that feels refreshingly modern and urgent. Fans of Mona Awad and Tara Isabella Burton will find their next auto-buy author here." --Book Reporter

"Exploring 1960s domesticity through the lens of a homemaker, the book takes a creepy (yet fascinating) turn." --University of Washington Magazine

"[The Man] explores obsession, fear, art, and the danger of being watched." --The Hoboken Girl

"[The Man] is a fast-paced, twisty, thrilling tale, probing the line between artistic creation and exploitation and the persistent dangers women face, set in a noir-tinged, unsettling suburban world." --Booklist

"This atmospheric exploration of trauma, obsession, and the uneasy space between truth and perception is recommended for readers who enjoy ambiguity, psychological tension, and narrators whose reliability is in question." --Library Journal

"Laura Sims returns with The Man, a suspenseful domestic thriller set in the 1960s . . . A tense exploration of perception and truth." --Out South Florida

"Sims delivers a devilish psychological thriller set in the 1960s and centered on empty-nester Judith Stanley, who's taking a photography class with professor Paul Sorenson. . . . Sims artfully handles their parallel paranoias, and the novel's unsettling ending boldly denies readers the comfort of certainty. The result is an appealingly disturbing tale that will linger in readers' minds." --Publishers Weekly

"Fiercely intelligent and deeply chilling, The Man--like the protagonist's self-portraits--contains more than first meets the eye. It's the sort of novel I immediately want to talk about with others--the perfect book club read. I wish I could read it again for the first time!" --Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

"So eerie and sharp, so classic feeling yet contemporary. I think of Highsmith and Hitchcock when it comes to [Sims's] gift for suspense and dark Americana, but she also has a poet's eye and ear for conjuring visceral dread, vulnerability and beauty in equal measure. A brilliant portrait of a deeply haunted, gifted woman--and a haunting shadow of a man. Maybe my favorite of [Sims's]." --Mona Awad, New York Times bestselling author of We Love You, Bunny

"With elegant and propulsive prose, The Man is a captivating page-turner that explores art, ambition, gender dynamics, and true fear. Creepy, disturbing, and dripping with dread, it was nearly impossible to put down." --Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of Strangers in the Villa

"The Man is a chilling study of the ways in which a woman's art, talent, and entire life get subsumed by the biggest malevolent force in her life--the men who want to shape her to their will. This book kept me awake at night, heart in throat, then stayed with me long afterward. I could not stop turning the pages. Laura Sims has done it again." --Vanessa Chan, author of international bestseller, The Storm We Made

"Haunting, atmospheric, and relentlessly unnerving, The Man kept me up late reading--and had me looking over my shoulder on dark street corners. Beneath the muscular prose and quiet sense of dread is a thoughtful exploration of power imbalances, our relationship with art, and the roles we allow women to play." --Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here and The Last Ferry Out

"The Man is a gorgeous, haunting exploration of creativity, confinement, and desire. Sims captures the inner life of an artist with uncanny precision and lyricism. Every page shimmers with intelligence and quiet menace. I could not put it down." --Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Puzzle Box

"I was gripped by this twisty, creepy tale of an amateur photographer with a blazing talent and a troubling past. Art and trauma, obsession and ambition all collide with terrifying consequences that will have you flipping to the last page." --Susan Barker, author of Old Soul

"An absolute page-turner. I tore through this novel in two feverish sittings. Sims perfectly captures the feeling every woman knows too well: of looking over your shoulder, holding your house keys too tightly, and wondering what darkness might follow you home. Expertly paced, utterly gripping, and deeply layered, The Man is the kind of novel that stays with you long after you finish it. Sims's signature style will have you dead-bolting your door and looking at the world a bit differently." --Kirsten King, author of A Good Person

About the Author

Laura Sims's previous novels How Can I Help You and Looker have been featured on Best Books lists in The New York Times Book Review, Vogue, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, Publishers Weekly, and more. An award-winning poet, Sims has published four poetry collections; her essays and poems have appeared in The New Republic, Boston Review, Lit Hub, and Electric Lit. She lives in New Jersey, where she works part-time as a children's librarian.