For fans of the high-stakes tension of the New York Times bestsellers LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE and THE LYING GAME comes “a brilliantly paced thriller that gets under your skin in the best possible way” (Megan Collins, author of THE WINTER SISTER) about female ambition and what happens when fake violence draws real blood.

After years of struggling in the Chicago theater scene, ambitious actress Kira Rascher finally lands the role of a lifetime. The catch? Starring in Temper means working with Malcolm Mercer, a mercurial director who’s known for pushing his performers past their limits --- onstage and off.

Kira is convinced she can handle Malcolm, but the theater’s cofounder Joanna Cuyler is another story. Joanna sees Kira as a threat --- to her own thwarted artistic aspirations, her twisted relationship with Malcolm, and the shocking secret she’s keeping about the upcoming production. But as opening night draws near, Kira and Joanna both start to realize that Malcolm’s dangerous extremes are nothing compared to what they're capable of themselves.

An edgy, addictive and fiendishly clever tale of ambition, deceit and power suited for fans of the film Black Swan, TEMPER “revels in its mind games, delivering twist after twist as it races toward a Shakespearian climax. The final page will leave you gasping” (Amy Gentry, author of LAST WOMAN STANDING).