Darcey Bell’s debut novel, A SIMPLE FAVOR, was adapted into a film starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. While I missed her next two books, SOMETHING SHE’S NOT TELLING US and ALL I WANT, I can proudly state that her latest effort, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, is a solid read and an enjoyable psychological thriller.

We know from the start that Lorelei may not be the most reliable narrator, and what she reveals may require some further investigation. She becomes close friends with Holly after meeting her at a psychology seminar, and they instantly hit it off with their mutual interests. However, things take a dark turn during their college years, especially when they become way too attached to their favorite professor --- a self-professed guru of psychological practices and mind control. This effectively ends their friendship, but the resentment and emotional scars still persist to this day.

"WOMAN OF THE YEAR delivers as a psychological thriller and even bounces around the suggestion of being supernatural."

Lorelei has a particularly hard time dealing with the success that the nerdy, awkward Holly has had in the 20 years since they met. She has become a self-made businesswoman receiving numerous accolades and now has been nominated for a prestigious Woman of the Year award. During this time, Lorelei has gone nowhere and ambles from job to job with nothing to show for it but a small apartment and becoming a self-proclaimed “crazy cat lady.” Her obsession with Holly leads her to adopt an assumed name and background that gets her invited to the Woman of the Year ceremony. Here she intends to get the revenge that she personally seeks against Holly. Something does happen to Holly following the event, but it is not from anything that Lorelei had planned.

Now Lorelei is completely paranoid as she assumes that someone else from their shared past played a part in this tragedy. This sets her down a menacing path when she recognizes that her own life may be in danger as well. It is only a matter of time before her cover is blown, which may put her directly in the crosshairs of whoever is out to clean up on prior indiscretions.

WOMAN OF THE YEAR delivers as a psychological thriller and even bounces around the suggestion of being supernatural. Lorelei’s first cat was named Pyewacket, which some of you may remember as the name of the Siamese cat who served as a familiar to Kim Novak’s friendly witch in the film Bell, Book and Candle. Could this mean that Lorelei herself might be dabbling in the dark arts? You will simply have to read the book and decide for yourself!