by Alyssa Cole
From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past.
Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can't refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she's determined not to ruin their opportunity.
Then a surprise visit from the home's conservation trust just as a Nor'easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.
Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.
From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past.
Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can't refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she's determined not to ruin their opportunity.
Then a surprise visit from the home's conservation trust just as a Nor'easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.
Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.
Reviews-
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March 1, 2024
Cole's long-awaited second thriller, following When No One Is Watching (2020), starts with a dramatis personae of all of the headmates who inhabit Kenetria ""Ken"" Nash, who has dissociative identity disorder. There's kind-hearted Solomon, organized caretaker Della, fan-fiction-obsessed Empress, four-year-old Keke, and more. Ken had a breakdown and Della was in charge for a while as COVID-19 raged, but now Ken is back and Della is missing, though she apparently signed Ken up for a job caretaking a castle in the middle of the Hudson River. As a storm approaches, Ken arrives, greeted by surly, sexy groundskeeper Celeste. The castle, which is supposedly haunted by the ghost of the wife of the industrialist who built it, looks exactly like the castle that all of Ken's identities share inside her mind. And there's a new, unnamed presence as well. As the secrets of the castle are revealed, involving a tradition of misogynistic privilege, so is the connection to Ken. Cole presents a master class in characterization and narrative structure as Ken's headmates ""front"" in response to the world outside while fighting an internal battle. The mystery of Della's disappearance coincides with the mystery of the castle in surprising ways that will keep readers on their toes in this brilliant, adroit novel.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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February 23, 2024
Edgar winner Cole (When No One Is Watching) returns to crime fiction with a 100K-copy first printing. Diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, Kenetria "Ken" Nash and her other identities get a job as caretaker of an island estate. As a nor'easter begins to brew, a murder also storms in, washing Ken up as the main suspect. She and her alters must survive and solve the case. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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April 1, 2024
A woman with dissociative identity disorder finds herself at the site of the childhood trauma that caused her break, fighting for survival against threats both external and internal. When Kenetria Nash wakes up, she at first has no idea that she's been dormant for six years. Following an extreme childhood trauma, Ken developed DID in order to cope, and she and her seven "headmates" live in relative harmony within a castle-shaped inner world, though only three of the personalities, including Ken, are truly able to "front" for long periods of time. While Ken has been slumbering, Della and Solomon have been managing, dealing with Covid-19 and an increasingly precarious financial situation. Ken comes back into awareness standing on a dock, waiting for a boat to pick her up and ferry her to her new job as caretaker at an old estate on an abandoned Hudson River island. If this sounds like the setup for a truly strange horror movie--it is. Managing her various selves is the least of Ken's problems, even as Della seems to have gone missing, because when they reach the estate, the house turns out to look exactly like the interior castle where all the headmates live. Not only has Ken apparently been here before, but soon her caustic ex shows up with his racist, misogynistic father, intent on hosting some kind of bizarre goblin hunting ritual--in a storm, of course. Her only ally is Celeste, who seems to run hot and cold with Ken, but ultimately may be her ticket to surviving the physical challenges ahead. Of course, she also has to deal with the mental challenges, not least of which involves the existence of a new headmate who looks an awful lot like a ghost spotted on the property. If it sounds a little over the top--it is. But there are enough twists and scares and unique elements to keep you reading. Ken can be hard to like sometimes, but she's easy to root for. A spooky, gothic setting disrupted by a totally modern heroine.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Entertainment Weekly (20 New Books Coming in September) on When No One Is Watching
"Cole presents a master class in characterization and narrative structure as Ken's headmates "front" in response to the world outside while fighting an internal battle. The mystery of Della's disappearance coincides with the mystery of the castle in surprising ways that will keep readers on their toes in this brilliant, adroit novel."
— Booklist (starred review)"Combining the voyeuristic paranoia of Rear Window with the searing social commentary of Get Out, this thriller from Alyssa Cole turns gentrification into fodder for a horror movie." — Entertainment Weekly (20 New Books Coming in September) on When No One Is Watching
"This high-octane thriller hits right where it hurts, taking aim at gentrification and racism as conjoined forces of literary horror... Expect major palm sweat as the novel barrels toward its chilling and eye-opening conclusion." — Esquire (Best Books of Fall 2020 for Those Long, Chilly Nights) on When No One Is Watching
"What would fall be without a fantastic and nerve-wracking thriller? Enter When No One Is Watching... A fantastic choice for fans of Get Out, this is a compulsive, entertaining, and thought-provoking novel." — Shondaland (6 Best Books of September)
"To turn a knotty social and economic issue into a riveting psychological thriller is no easy task, but then again, should we really be surprised the extraordinary Alyssa Cole has done it? When No One Is Watching uproots the steady gentrification of Brooklyn and transforms it into an eerie horror story where 'revitalization' itself is the monster." — Elle (The 40 Best New Books Of Summer 2020)
"...if "Rear Window" and "Get Out" got married and had a baby that was a book, it would indeed be "When No One Is Watching," which takes place in contemporary Brooklyn and combines a page-turning thriller with shrewd social commentary on race, gentrification and greed." — Seattle Times
"Cole is known for romance, but don't let that fool you into thinking she can't genre-jump with ease. Her first thriller, When No One is Watching, is a triumph. Sydney Green is a well-crafted protagonist and her paranoia is justified in this poignant story, which has a lot to say about racism and gentrification in America... It's page-turning and engrossing all the while giving a history lesson on racial disparities and inequality. A timely read, and an incredibly smart writer." — Crime Reads
"With a keen eye for details, Alyssa Cole deftly unspools a rich narrative with compelling characters who live and breathe against a vibrant backdrop. From the bold first line to the exquisitely subtle last, WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING is a top-notch page-turner!" — Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author
"Masterfully written suspense. Beneath a seemingly ordinary setting, Cole weaves layers of dread, all building toward a shocking and satisfying conclusion." — Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of City of the Lost
"Dread builds and mutates into near-horror... It was eye-opening, sad, shocking, gripping, I devoured it in one go. I recommend SO HIGHLY." — Marian Keyes, #1 bestselling author
"From the first page of WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING, I felt like I was right there in the gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood, filled with sharply etched characters and dialogue that zings. Then bam! I was knocked over by the momentum of an intense psychological thriller that doesn't let go until the final page. This is a terrific...
