By: Catherine McKenzie
I would like to thank Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Nicole Mueller’s life was not going the way that she thought it would be going at 39 years old. Her career as a lawyer seemed to be falling apart. Just when she thought her career would be reaching the next level, she found out that she was being watched – she wasn’t pulling her weight at the firm, not bringing in enough clients. She wasn’t bringing in enough money. Then, she and her husband, Dan, are forced out of their apartment. After receiving a warning from Thomas, a senior partner at the firm, she receives an email inviting her to join Panthera Leo. Panthera Leo holds themselves out to be a women’s networking group, promising to help other women. Despite Dan’s hesitation and thoughts that this may be a Cult, Nicole signs up for a retreat in Colorado. There, she meets other professionals – a congresswoman, an actress and a financial guru. The leaders of her pride are equally as impressive.
Once she’s back at home, she already sees the group helping her – providing her and Dan an apartment before they had to be out of theirs, bringing in a new client that will impress the senior partners – things seems to be looking up. What she has to do in return hasn’t been too much to ask, register to vote, donate to good causes. Then, one night, she is called to the Congresswoman’s apartment where a crime occurred and she is in too deep. She wants out of Panthera Leo, but they have too much information on her to let her go. Is she able to get out?
I was very impressed with this book. It draws the reader right in, and keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. Nicole’s eventual uneasiness was palpable, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
I really enjoyed the fresh new take on a cult. It wasn’t the typical cult book/cult experience that one thinks they will get. With so many psychological thriller books these days, a lot of time I feel as though a lot of them are the same. This one was so different.
I highly suggest everyone pre-order this book. It comes out on August 23, 2022. Pre-order it here!
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