Saving Grace: A Psychological Thriller

By D.M. Barr

Genres: LGBTQ+, Mystery, Thriller

Age Groups: 12-18, 18+

Grace Pierrepoint Rendell, the only child of an ailing billionaire, has been treated for paranoia since childhood. When she secretly quits her meds, she begins to suspect that once her father passes, her husband will murder her for her inheritance. Realizing that no one will believe the ravings of a supposed psychotic, she devises a creative way to save herself—she will write herself out of danger, authoring a novel with the heroine in exactly the same circumstances, thus subtly exposing her husband's scheme to the world. She hires acclaimed author Lynn Andrews to help edit her literary insurance policy, but when Lynn is murdered, Grace is discovered standing over the bloody remains. The clock is ticking: can she write and publish her manuscript before she is strapped into a straitjacket, accused of homicide, or lowered six feet under?

With a cast of secondary characters whose challenges mirror Grace's own, Saving Grace is, at its core, an allegory for the struggle of the marginalized to be heard and live life on their own terms.

Formats

EBOOK, AUDIO, PAPERBACK

Reviews

InD'Tale Magazine

Ms. Barr's storytelling is a master class of Oooh! Whee! delight ensuring her fans, old and new, a "just-one-more-chapter" reading experience they will not soon forget! -Tonya Mathenia, InD'tale Magazine (Magzine now defunct and website removed)

Author Lor Robbins

"A psychological thriller with more than enough twists, turns, and misdirection to keep even the most jaded reader turning pages all night long." –Lori Robbins, author of the Silver Falchion Award-winning novel, Lesson Plan for Murder

Kirkus Reviews

In Barr’s thriller, a woman unravels a family history of deceit. Grace Rendell is the daughter of a sadistic billionaire and is married to a man who’s successful and handsome but wants nothing to do with her physically or emotionally. Grace has been in therapy with Dr. Emma Leighmann since she was young, when her father had her committed to a mental institution. She regularly prescribes Grace a cocktail of psychotropic medications, thus keeping her heavily sedated. In the novel’s opening scene, Grace stands over the dead body of the successful mystery writer who goes by the name Lynn Andrews, which leads the reader to wonder if she’s had a psychotic break. Or is she actually more stable than her supposed caregivers acknowledge? The novel then jumps back to four months earlier, when Grace is in the process of weaning herself off her prescription medication and starting to realize that her marriage may not be what it seems. Determined to seize control of her life and her narrative, Grace joins a writing group where she meets Lynn. The women become friends, and Lynn agrees to help Grace write her mystery novel—not realizing that the troubled woman’s book is a thinly veiled account of her husband and her father, who may well be plotting her demise. Barr’s psychological thriller is expertly paced as it oscillates between Grace’s seemingly valid suspicions and her paranoia, and the author slowly builds the character’s credibility as the story goes on. She also develops other intriguing characters, such as Lynn’s brother, Joe “Hack” Hackford, who struggles with his own financial troubles. His desperation, and Grace’s, will cause them to bond in unexpected ways. Barr’s narrative can, at times, feel slightly over-the-top due its its elaborate web of conniving players. However, it’s still a wild ride whose propulsive energy will keep readers turning pages. An intriguing murder mystery that readers will rush to finish.

Awards

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