Sometimes, you can't even explain why you instantly love a book. It might be that I was immediately hooked by the tense, terrifying prologue that had me rooting for the famous advice columnist Francis Keen as she tries to escape her killer. Or it might be the idea of doing the job of an advice columnist. Admit it; you have contemplated it, too. How fun it would be to finally give people the advice you have been holding back all this time? 

After Frances's death, the main character, Alex Marks, lands the job as the new advice columnist and is offered the creepy office belonging to her tragically killed predecessor. Alex is determined to do her best despite her lack of experience and soon finds herself inundated with mail and dealing with a nasty assistant to the editor-in-chief. Fortunately, Francis Keen's former assistant is always there to lend a helping hand. 

The story is interwoven with letters Frances Keen received from a young woman growing up in a forgotten town who meets a charismatic man who soon takes over her life. It isn't difficult to figure out what is happening with this lost girl, but the payoff was poignant. This whole novel is a warm hug, and at the same time, it is creepy and thrilling as the main character, Alex, finds herself at the centre of a mysterious and potentially dangerous situation when she begins to get disturbing letters mixed in with the regular ones from readers asking for help. With the identity of Frances's killer still unknown, everyone around Alex is a potential suspect - including her boss, editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, whose after-hours habits raise more than a few eyebrows.

As Alex delves deeper into the intricate details surrounding her predecessor's murder, she realizes that her dark secrets are coming back to literally hunt her. Suddenly, Alex is trapped in a deadly game where every move could be her last.