The allure of a locally set thriller lies in its ability to intertwine the familiar with the mysterious, drawing readers or viewers into a world that feels both close to home and tantalizingly unknown. Set in recognizable streets, landmarks, and neighborhoods, a locally set thriller creates an immediate connection, inviting audiences to imagine themselves navigating the same treacherous twists and turns as the characters.
Oceanside author Stephanie DeCarolis has created this exact allure with the July release of her newest novel, The Perfect Sister, published by Penguin Random House.
“This novel is a psychological thriller about a woman who goes missing, and her sister is on a quest to find her. She’s following the clues that her sister has left for her trying to retrace her footsteps, and she quickly finds out that she’s not sure if she can trust everyone that she encounters,” DeCarolis said. “It’s one of those books where everyone is hiding something and you don’t know who’s reliable.”
The Perfect Sister is fast-paced with bite-sized chapters full of twists and satisfying turns, that transports readers to the sandy white beaches of the Hamptons, where a woman’s search for her missing sister uncovers a wealth of secrets worth killing for.
“My favorite thing about this story is that it’s one of those books where there are characters that you love, and there are characters that you love to hate,” DeCarolis said. “It’ll be exciting.”
Readers who love twisted family dynamics and sudden disappearances as seen in Lisa Jewell’s The Night She Disappeared, Janelle Brown’s I’ll Be You, and Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game are really going to enjoy The Perfect Sister.
“I would also say that fans of Lucy Foley’s work will find this novel to read-alike,” DeCarolis said. “Foley does a similar kind of thing where she uses multiple perspectives and dual timelines.”
This book will also appeal to readers who love sophisticated suspense with a luxurious backdrop, in books like Rachel Hawkins’s Reckless Girls or Ellery Lloyd’s The Club.
“When I was a kid, I used to go out to Montauk with my parents; now that I am a parent and have two little girls my husband and I like to take them out to Montauk to continue the tradition,” DeCarolis said. “This book was inspired by all the drives through the Hamptons; I always look at these huge mansions and manors behind wrought iron gates and I always imagine what kinds of things could be going on behind those closed doors.”
The Perfect Sister will be DeCarolis’ third novel.
“I do not know if this is exactly great advice, but a lot of luck goes into having your first novel published professionally,” DeCarolis said. “You have to have the right book, at the right time with the right editor who can market it at the right time. Not every book is going to be right for every editor. So, if you get a ‘no’ from one person, that is okay, keep putting it out there; you will hit that sweet spot; your book will land in the right hands.”
DeCarolis began her first novel with a newborn baby in tow. She had taken a brief break from her legal career and decided that it was a perfect opportunity to dedicate some attention to writing.
“I was fortunate that my debut novel was picked up by a publisher,” DeCarolis said. “It set the path; I am grateful that I get to do this full time now.”
DeCarolis is the USA Today bestselling author of The Guilty Husband and Deadly Little Lies. She is a graduate of Binghamton University and St. John’s University School of Law, and currently lives in Oceanside with her husband and their two daughters.
The launch party for The Perfect Sister will be held on July 18 at 6 p.m. at Beginnings Gastropub in Atlantic Beach, with Theodore’s Books of Oyster Bay.
A panel discussion at BookHampton bookstore in East Hampton is planned for late July and a book talk at Oceanside Library is planned for August.
Visit DeCarolis’ author page at www.penguinrandomhouse.com for more details and upcoming events.
