Guillotine

In this blood-soaked class warfare tale from bestseller Dawson (The Violence), Dez, a struggling college student with ambitions for a fashion career, romantically pursues the son of a fashion magnate all the way onto his secluded island mansion, intent on ingratiating herself with his family. She's there for the Ruskins' Easter weekend family reunion, but her stay quickly turns into a bloodbath as the pink-clad servers begin hunting the Ruskins for sport, exacting bloody vengeance for crushing, horrific incidents the staff has experienced at their hands. As the bodies pile up on the island paradise and Dez's loyalties are called into question, she learns the price of ambition and must decide what she's willing to do to ensure her survival. Dawson's vivid prose and snappy dialogue brings the gory, stylized action to life. The narrative has difficulty maintaining tension, however, as the stakes are dialed up to 10 early on and the story struggles to find new places to go. Still, fans of The Menu and Saltburn will find a lot to love here. (Sept.)