Five titles that exploit our fear of being known

Melissa Larsen is the author of Shutter and The Lost House.

She received her M.F.A. from Columbia University and her B.A. from New York University.

When she isn’t traveling somewhere to research her next novel—and somehow hurting herself in the process—she lives in New York City and teaches creative writing.

At CrimeReads Larsen tagged five novels that embody "the fear of even letting someone get close to us, because once we submit to that ordeal, they have the potential to hurt us." One title on the list:

Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie

Fifteen years ago, Syd Walker witnessed her best friend’s murder and barely escaped with her own and her sister’s life. Now, working far out of state as an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd is called home by a threat: A skull placed near the scene of the crime, with her ID badge held in its teeth. Reluctantly, Syd returns to uncover old wounds and new horrors alike. Her sister, troubled and far too involved in the dark threads that hold their hometown together, has gone missing. I read this one so fast I was almost out of breath, both from the pace and the terrors within.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Blood Sisters is among Eliza Browning's 2023 list of sixteen new books by Indigenous authors.

--Marshal Zeringue