Die a Little

In Megan Abbott's debut novel, Die a Little, set against the backdrop of 1950s Los Angeles, schoolteacher Lora King’s life takes a sinister turn when her brother Bill falls for the enigmatic Alice Steele, a wardrobe assistant harboring dark secrets. As Lora grapples with jealousy and suspicion toward Alice, she is drawn into the gritty underbelly of the city, assuming the role of amateur detective. Her investigation leads her into a world fraught with drugs, prostitution, and murder, ultimately blurring the lines between her life and Alice's shadowy past.