The Perfect Ghost

Book excerpt: A ghostwriter is lured by her dangerous celebrity subject in “a captivating story of love, rivalry, and revenge” from an award-winning mystery author (Publishers Weekly). From Linda Barnes, Anthony Award–winning author of the Carlotta Carlyle mystery series, a stunning breakout novel with pitch-perfect pacing and mesmerizing prose. Shy to the point of agoraphobic, Em Moore is the writing half of a celebrity biography team. Her charismatic partner, Teddy, does the interviewing and the public schmoozing. But Em’s dependence on Teddy runs deeper than just the job—Teddy is her bridge to the world. So when Teddy dies in a car accident, Em is devastated, alone in a world she doesn’t understand. The only way she can honor his memory and cope with his loss is to finish the interviews for their current book—an “autobiography” of renowned and reclusive film director Garrett Malcolm. Ensconced in a small cottage near Malcolm’s Cape Cod home, Em slowly builds the courage to interview Malcolm the way Teddy would have. She finds Malcolm at once friendlier, more intimidating, and much sexier than she had imagined. But Em soon starts hearing whispers of skeletons in the Malcolm family closet. And then the police begin looking into the accident that killed Teddy, and Em’s control on her life—tenuous at best—is threatened. “The flawed and fascinating protagonist of this literary mystery, is wily and driven . . . as she barrels down a twisty road leading to a spectacular and unexpected ending.” —B.A. Shapiro, New York Times–bestselling author of The Art Forger “Em’s dramatic story of rebirth, addressed to Teddy in absentia, unfolds with the fitting precision of a stage play. . . . Outstanding.” —Booklist, starred review