Joy Fielding, the bestselling author of STILL LIFE, SEE JANE RUN and other acclaimed novels, returns with CUL-DE-SAC, the story of a neighborhood beset by secrets, dramas and a quietly unfolding act of violence that will change its residents’ lives forever.

The term “cul-de-sac” is the literal translation of “bottom of a sack” in French, derived from the Latin culus, meaning “bottom.” In Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, however, it means a short, dead-end street in the shape of a circle set in a sleepy, solidly middle-class suburb. Five houses surround the cul-de-sac, each with a different family, each with their own secrets, desires and betrayals.

At the heart of the circle is Maggie McKay, a newly separated woman who lives with her teenage daughter and young son. Directly next door are Dani Wilson and her celebrated oncologist husband, Nick, along with their two sons. Then we have the Grants, Sean and Olivia, who are just settling into life following the births of their twins and third child. On the other side live Julia Fisher, an 84-year-old widow, and her up-to-no-good grandson; and the Youngs --- beautiful, swoony Heidi and her veteran husband, Aiden, who suffers from PTSD. But each of the five households counts at least one gun among them, and as many of us have learned over the last few years, where there are guns --- let alone five or more --- there is bound to be a shooting sooner or later.

"Fielding does a tremendous job dishing out details, distracting her readers with red herrings, and exposing the inner lives of her tormented characters."

Alternating among each of the five households, Fielding paints a portrait of a neighborhood rife with good stories. Maggie McKay lives, breathes and practically marries her fear following an altercation with a biker gang. With her husband unable to live with the stress anymore and her children looking to her for answers about their father’s return, Maggie has turned to a gun for comfort. But a loaded weapon is a poor match for her paranoia and confusion, and even she is starting to wonder if a gun can keep her --- and her family --- safe if she does not start to work on her fear.

Nick Wilson is a revered oncologist, known for his passion for his patients and his ability to weigh difficult decisions. But although his wife, Dani, is also a doctor (a dentist), Nick finds her stupid, lazy and judgmental...and he has no problem airing these frustrations with his fists. Like many women trapped in violent marriages, Dani feels certain that the “real” Nick is not the one who hurts her, but rather the one who greets patients with clear facts and warm hugs. However, even she cannot ignore his cabinet of guns and the effect that his anger and eagerness for violence is having on their young sons.

Sean Grant, too, is keeping a secret: he has been laid off for over a year, and he is having no luck finding work. With the Grant family’s credit card debt running up and Sean growing tired of being a “house husband,” he turns to alcohol and, you guessed it, the surety of a gun in his hands --- the one thing that might be able to change the tides for his family. When Sean pretends to have been hired at an elite up-and-coming firm, his need for secrecy grows until even his neighbors start to wonder what is going on in the Grant household.

Across the cul-de-sac, Julia Fisher is getting on in years, but she is desperate to maintain her independence and the home she shared with her husband. Her son, now on his fourth bimbo wife and driving a ridiculous car, has turned into a man she no longer recognizes. But her grandson, devious and feckless as he is, offers her a reprieve. In exchange for her help battling his father, he will live with her, cook for her and make sure that she can maintain her home as long as possible. But her grandson is no angel either: he’s racked up quite a debt with his dealer, and he’ll need to dip into Julia’s wallet, jewelry case and medicine cabinet to avoid dangerous repercussions.

And then there are the Youngs, perhaps the most heartbreaking story of the cul-de-sac. Aiden served in Afghanistan, and like many soldiers, he came back with a horrifying case of PTSD. But that’s not all. He also returned straight into his mother’s firm grasp, and under her control he questions everything, including his love for his beautiful young wife, Heidi. Unable to take a stand for Heidi or himself, and tormented by vicious dreams, Aiden slowly starts to unravel as his neighborhood folds under its secrets.

CUL-DE-SAC kicks off with a gunshot and a murder. While each home is positively vibrating with the potential for violence, Fielding does a tremendous job dishing out details, distracting her readers with red herrings and exposing the inner lives of her tormented characters. On the surface, each household and its family are average, boring even, but in Fielding’s hands, the unknown breaks free in shocking, explosive ways. The “quiet neighborhood gone wrong” is not an unusual premise, but she really plays with the limits of the trope here, examining all the ways that a huge secret, like domestic abuse, can bump heads with a smaller one, like a domineering mother. As she demonstrates, the shadows --- even in the brightest streets of the brightest neighborhoods --- provide excellent places for secrets to hide, fester and flourish, and when a secret stays quiet for too long, it is bound to explode.

Perfect for readers of Megan Miranda's SUCH A QUIET PLACE and Sarah Langan's GOOD NEIGHBORS, CUL-DE-SAC is a satisfying mystery with plenty of domestic drama and well-rounded characters to keep you guessing, engaged and wary of your own neighbors.