Editorial Content for You Deserve to Know

The opening chapter of Aggie Blum Thompson's latest domestic thriller, YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, introduces a setting that should seem borderline idyllic. Three picture-perfect young families living on the same cul-de-sac in well-to-do East Bethesda, Maryland, gather on an early fall evening for their weekly ritual of a shared meal and socializing. The kids --- including two pairs of twins --- run around in the backyard, the husbands bond over beer and bourbon, and the wives indulge in shared support and perhaps a little light gossip.

"Astute readers eventually might guess the identity of the 'Guest,' but it's unlikely that they'll predict all of the thorny twists and turns.... You may never look at your friends and neighbors in the same way."

But all is not well on Nassau Court. When we meet Aimee, she's not-so-secretly miffed with her friend and neighbor, Lisa. Things have been strained between the one-time BFFs ever since Gwen and her husband, Anton, moved into the neighborhood, and Aimee became instantly smitten with Gwen's picture-perfect life. Now, Lisa has been getting on Aimee's nerves by making comments about one of Aimee's kids and, by extension, Aimee's parenting style. But Gwen, as usual, is able to reassure Aimee, who goes about her evening --- until later that night when Anton, after having a few drinks, pulls Aimee aside for a cryptic comment: "You deserve to know."

Know what? Aimee wonders, especially after she hears Gwen and Anton fighting later that night. But the answer might remain a mystery for good. Anton's body is discovered the next morning in an alley outside a local bar. The police suspect foul play, and almost no one on Nassau Court is above suspicion. It turns out that idyllic scene might be more of a mirage, concealing any number of lies and betrayals.

Thompson uses a complex structure to gradually unfold the plot. Chapters labeled "Now" are narrated in the third person voice from both Gwen and Aimee's perspectives, starting with that tranquil family dinner and going forward in time as the mystery unspools. Interspersed with these chapters are flashbacks, largely from Lisa's perspective, starting with the moment that Gwen and Anton moved into the neighborhood and revealing a darker side to the characters and their relationships. Then there's the framing story that opens the novel with a cryptic preface in the form of a "Dateline" transcript. The unnamed "Guest" is clearly one of the three women, and she has written a novel that is a thinly veiled version of what happened.

Astute readers eventually might guess the identity of the "Guest," but it's unlikely that they'll predict all of the thorny twists and turns. What's more, in addition to the novel's suspenseful storytelling, it has plenty to offer in terms of fodder for discussion. Issues such as betrayal in romantic and friend relationships, the pressure to maintain the façade of a certain socioeconomic level, and the relative prestige offered to different kinds of professions are just a few of the topics that come up in the context of this page-turning suburban thriller. You may never look at your friends and neighbors in the same way.