In this chilling domestic thriller debut, a young woman working as a housekeeper—for the subject of a trending true crime podcast—finds herself in a deadly mess when the truth catches up to the hype.

Renee Beale is done settling for dead-end jobs and living on her parents’ tree farm in rural Virginia. But just as her life starts to look up, personal tragedy knocks her back down. Desperate for an escape, her only prospect is working for a wealthy Richmond couple with a deadly backstory.

Ed Weatherup is a family man, successful, and the perfect employer—except for the fact that he may quite possibly be a murderer. He served five years for his wife’s death before the Innocent Blood podcast helped overturn his conviction. Now he’s back home with his second wife and blended family, vowing publicly to find the real killer.

With her past coming to collect, Renee has no choice but to become the Weatherups’ new housekeeper. Suddenly privy to their family secrets and furtive phone calls, she turns to the podcast to learn more about her mysterious employers. But the details don’t add up. And the closer Renee gets to the truth, the more sure she becomes that the killer will strike again.

Lauren Reding grew up in rural Virginia. She earned a BA in English from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and an MFA in fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Lauren enjoys planting native perennials, playing video games, going for walks, and shooting the breeze.