Wendy Walker, the bestselling author of such novels as THE NIGHT BEFORE and DON’T LOOK FOR ME, returns with her most personal --- and twisted --- psychological thriller yet. Inviting readers into the cutting and cutthroat world of professional figure skating, BLADE is a multilayered story of abuse, accountability, and that most dangerous “A” word of all: ambition.

The Palace is a renowned skating facility nestled in the mountains of Colorado. Founded and run by Dawn Sumners, a former professional herself, it is known for turning wannabes into skaters, natural-born skaters into competitors, and competitors into Olympic legends. But with that acclaim comes a price: Dawn’s training model is controversial at best, downright abusive at worst. Her constant refrain, Fight the fear, is both a battle cry and a threat.

To outsiders, Dawn’s coaching may appear strict and rigid, even comical to those who care little for professional sports. But if that’s what it takes to become an icon, so be it. This is the very same lie that the parents who send their children to the Palace are fed: that they will be better for her training, no matter the cost. This is the bargain that 13-year-old Ana Robbins entered into 18 years ago --- before she abruptly left behind skating and the Palace only three years later.

Now a successful defense attorney lauded for her work with minors, Ana finds herself back in Echo, Colorado, for the first time in nearly two decades. She has been called to the Palace by her former teammate, Jolene, to defend Jolene’s young daughter, Grace, who has been accused of murder. The victim, Emile Dresier, was an assistant coach who taught the girls under Dawn. By all accounts, Emile was beloved by everyone who completed their training, including Grace.

"Bolstered by razor-sharp analyses of childhood and trauma psychology and the ways that abuse can have long-lasting effects, the book’s premise is every bit as knife-sharp as the skates it glides on.... BLADE is Wendy Walker at her very best."

So why is it that Emile’s body was found frozen in a pool of blood, his skull marked by four decisive cuts of a skate’s blade, only hours after Grace was seen attacking another girl and then demanding to speak to Emile? And why does Grace’s story have so many holes in it, from her missing dress to the blood-covered skate discovered inside her locker? It seems like an open-and-shut case. But Ana, combining her professional expertise with her own memories of the Palace, sees something else: trauma.

Through flashbacks into Ana’s time at the Palace as a young teen, one thing becomes very clear: you don’t ask questions…especially not about Dawn’s training methods. As Ana revisits her memories, she exposes the world of the Orphans, four girls who were deposited by their families to live and train at the Palace full time. They endured rigorous training sessions, Dawn’s “Fight the fear” emotional manipulations, and intimate, vulnerable coaching sessions with both Emile and the facility’s counselor, Dr. Westin.

As the youngest Orphan, Ana in particular was witness to numerous coming-of-age dramas --- from first kisses to flasks to homesickness and high school, each of them experienced by girls expected to perform at the highest professional levels imaginable, masquerading as adults with little to no care for their young selves. As she exposes through her memories, this dichotomy fractured their psyches, forcing each Orphan to turn to something, or someone, for comfort and care.

Through it all, Dawn, Emile and Dr. Westin were there, poking and prodding the girls, playing upon their weaknesses, and exploiting their fears. As an adult, and especially with her training in so-called “excuse defenses” --- self-defense, trauma response, and infancy, the mere fact of being a child --- Ana can see that these hot and cold approaches turned them into fear-driven, rage-fueled victims, and that her own past may be hiding the answers to what really happened to Emile. But first she must get Grace to tell her what she knows. Grace has said only one thing so far: It’s not safe here, and it’s all your fault.

Alternating between her investigation into Grace’s case and her even more personal reckoning with her time at the Palace, Ana reveals a cutthroat world of competition and ambition. Children are cracked open to expose the raw talent inside, and then abruptly exploited and discarded. Alliances, betrayals and secrets are the language of the Palace, and as Ana compares Grace’s story to her own, it becomes clear that the ripple effects of Ana’s time under Dawn have laid the groundwork for everything happening today. To connect the dots, however, she will need to revisit and potentially even expose some of her friends’ darkest secrets.

Thriller readers already know that Wendy Walker can craft a mystery like no other, with her mastery of dual timelines, multiple perspectives, and ripped-from-the-headlines crimes unparalleled. But BLADE is her most personal story yet. An author’s note explains that, like her protagonist, Walker was an “Orphan” at an elite figure skating program from the age of 13. She kicks each of these talents into high gear, pairing them with her intimate knowledge of the world of competitive skating to expose a story of jaw-dropping abuse and exploitation.

Bolstered by razor-sharp analyses of childhood and trauma psychology and the ways that abuse can have long-lasting effects, the book’s premise is every bit as knife-sharp as the skates it glides on. Its dual narrative is punctuated by court transcripts that give us hints of what’s to come, but even the savviest thriller reader will never guess the twists that Walker has in store. Each of them are more explosive, farther-reaching and psychologically cutting than the last.

In the end, however, it is Ana who is the real star of the show. Her journey from victim to hero, though full of emotional pitfalls and painful recollections, is one of the strongest I have read in any book. Walker never once lets the pace of her novel slow --- and believe me, this one moves like a pro on ice --- but she also takes great care to unpack her protagonist’s unraveling with a tenderness that feels like healing. Meticulously plotted and tautly written, BLADE is Wendy Walker at her very best.