You Let Me In

Starred review from February 10, 2020
The disappearance of 74-year-old British romance novelist Cassandra Tipp from her home propels Bruce’s exceptional debut. Despite no evidence of foul play, the police are convinced that Tipp is dead and that her death may be connected to older homicide cases. Tipp was suspected of killing her husband 38 years earlier, a circumstance that launched her writing career. And 11 years after that crime, Tipp’s father and brother died in what was labeled a murder-suicide. The suspense builds as the truth about Tipp’s past and present emerges slowly and incrementally. Her will specifies that her two intended beneficiaries, her niece and nephew, must read a manuscript left behind in Tipp’s home to find a password that must be presented to the executor of the estate in order for them to claim their inheritance. An unsettling section depicts Tipp imagining her potential heirs doing just that, even as they wonder whether Tipp “really killed them all.” Bruce is especially good at raising goosebumps. Fans of Sarah Pinborough will welcome this new talent. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House.