Afraid that she's inherited Caroline's paranoid schizophrenia, Lila keeps these episodes secret while working to uncover what Caroline is hiding about a serial killer, known as The Cur, from years ago. Demeester's immersive descriptions suck readers into Lila's inner turmoil as she starts seeing and hearing dogs that aren't there and feels a dark presence awakening inside of her. In 2019, high schooler Lila Sawyer struggles with her attraction to her only friend her increasingly strained relationship with her mother, Caroline and the frightening news of young girls who were discovered dead and mutilated in the nearby woods. 'Compulsive and horrifyingly entertaining.' - Liz Nugentĭemeester (Beneath) blends realistic descriptions of dissociation and schizophrenia with the horror of a serial killer preying on young girls in this chilling probe into gender-based violence. Brilliantly paced and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile will make you want to stand up and rage at everyone who ever told you to shut up and smile pretty.

But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that others around her can’t understand.Īs past and present demons converge, Caroline and Lila must chase the source of the unrelenting, oppressive power to its core. As these snarling, teeth-bared delusions begin to take shape in the sculptures she makes in a trance-like state, her fiancé is convinced she needs help from a professional. Soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorized by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice-until she’s in danger for using it.Ģ004: Caroline Sawyer sees dogs everywhere that no one else seems to notice. But when young women around her begin dying, wild speculation ensues. Young women who refuse to conform and don’t know when to shut up.Ģ019: Thirteen-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. He’s known as The Cur, and he leaves no trace-except for the victims he most viciously slays every fifteen years. In this biting and electrifying novel from bold horror talent Kristi DeMeester, there’s something out there that’s murdering young women-until an overwhelmed mother and her secretive daughter refuse to live without answers any longer. This one will cut you.” - Christopher Golden

Named one of Esquire's Best Horror of the Year One of Goodreads Most Popular Horror of 2022

Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester