The Ingenue -- Rachel Kapelke-Dale, Hardcover

"Exceptional. This surprising, exhilarating suspense-filled tale of revenge and redemption is hard to put down." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen's Gambit in this new novel of suspense about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition, and the rewards of revenge.

When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's unexpected death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother's will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past--and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life--for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?

Set against a post #MeToo landscape, Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ingenue delves into mother-daughter relationships, the expectations of talent, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the things that once made you special are taken from you. Moving between Saskia's childhood and the present day, this dark, contemporary fairy tale pulses with desire, longing, and uncertainty, as it builds to its spectacular, shocking climax.

Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 12/06/2022
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.38w x 1.16d
ISBN: 9781250834560

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 07/01/2022 pg. 5
Library Journal 09/01/2022 pg. 135
Publishers Weekly 10/17/2022
Booklist 10/15/2022 pg. 21