You let me in

Little Cassandra Tipp is in thrall to Pepper-Man, a fairy who's decidedly no Tinkerbell. Pepper-Man feeds on Cass' blood and is in every way in charge of her; she feels compelled to injure other children because hurting them a little will save them from a worse fate at Pepper-Man's spindly, leathery hands. The fairy and his ilk are Cass' lifelong companions, and, as a teen, Cass births Pepper-Man's baby in the fairies' mound. In the real world, Cass undergoes lengthy psychotherapy that reveals a mind that has shattered as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. How will Cass survive her bizarre association with the underworld? Who is behind other killings hinted at, but only fully described, shockingly, at the end of the book? Readers will find themselves engrossed on a wild trip to a parallel, earthly dimension as Bruce reveals the secrets hidden by the Tipp family's dysfunction. Remarkably, Bruce takes the fairy trope and squeezes every ounce of tweeness out of it; she also introduces ancient elements, akin to Celtic myths, without romanticizing or sanitizing them. The characterizations are masterful but don't take a back seat to an enthralling story, a genre-blender that perplexes us with its whodunit elements and the ongoing mystery as to what is in Cass' mind and what's real. Neil Gaiman fans are a ready audience for this superb debut, but also suggest it to any patron who's ready for something astonishingly different.

The disappearance of 74-year-old British romance novelist Cassandra Tipp from her home propels Bruce's exceptional debut. Despite no evidence of foul play, the police are convinced that Tipp is dead and that her death may be connected to older homicide cases. Tipp was suspected of killing her husband 38 years earlier, a circumstance that launched her writing career. And 11 years after that crime, Tipp's father and brother died in what was labeled a murder-suicide. The suspense builds as the truth about Tipp's past and present emerges slowly and incrementally. Her will specifies that her two intended beneficiaries, her niece and nephew, must read a manuscript left behind in Tipp's home to find a password that must be presented to the executor of the estate in order for them to claim their inheritance. An unsettling section depicts Tipp imagining her potential heirs doing just that, even as they wonder whether Tipp "really killed them all." Bruce is especially good at raising goosebumps. Fans of Sarah Pinborough will welcome this new talent. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Apr.)