SEX CRIMES

It’s New Year’s Eve when Christine Chandler first picks up Scott DeSalvo, a younger man, for what she tells herself is just a one-night stand. Ten months later she stands accused of a crime so hideous that the tabloids have dubbed her the “Boston Fury.” To her friends and colleagues, Christine is the embodiment of self-discipline. Harvard educated, a top-flight lawyer, thirty-eight, and relentlessly single, she likes to think she’s in total control. But as Christine describes the series of sexual encounters that led to the night in question, her startling poise is gradually betrayed by newspaper clips, police reports, and the depositions of those who thought they knew her. From the acclaimed author of Life-Size, an unflinching portrayal of a woman who walks the thin psychological line between fantasy and reality, as a sexual obsession escalates into a single, irrevocable act of violence.

PRAISE FOR SEX CRIMES

“I defy you not to keep turning the pages.”

— Independent (UK)

“A horrifying but stay-up-till-you’ve finished it thriller.”

— Elle

“As Shute lures readers down this dark tunnel of delusion, she never lets us lose sight of the real mystery here–the why.”

— People

“Sexy, harrowing, and weirdly funny . . . Sex Crimes is a compelling case history of the effects of self-control taken to its most violent conclusion.”

— Sunday Tribune (UK)

“Sex Crimes might be Goodbar: The Sequel . . . It’s also irresistible.”

— Boston Magazine

“A chilling portrayal of a woman losing it, not by degrees, but in huge measure.”

— Daily News (NY)

“Certain to be one of the most hotly discussed books of the year . . .  one of the edgiest thrillers around.”

— Options (UK)

“A brilliant tale of obsession, the dark side of sex and a woman losing her grip on reality.”

— Company (UK)

“Genuinely harrowing”

— Publishers Weekly

“Scorchingly funny”

— Entertainment Weekly