NEED TO KNOW
\nLisa Unger has a new novel on the way, Served Him RightThe book follows Ana Blacksmith, who comes under suspicion when her ex-boyfriend turns up deadRead an exclusive excerpt, below <\/p>\n
Lisa Unger is at it again \u2014 and thriller fans won’t want to miss this one.\n<\/p>\n
In Served Him Right<\/a>, due out this spring from Park Row Books, Ana Blacksmith goes for brunch with her closest friends and sister Vera to celebrate her recent breakup from boyfriend Paul. But when terrible news arrives about her ex, all eyes turn to Ana \u2014 whose reputation isn’t exactly sterling. And when her best friend falls deathly ill after brunch, suspicion only intensifies.<\/p>\n Turns out, Ana isn’t the only one who might wish Paul ill. “As the investigation\u00a0unfolds, rumors of\u00a0a secret network that uses ancient methods to obtain justice\u00a0begin to emerge,” the official synopsis teases. “Vengeance is sweet, but it can also be deadly. Ana and Vera are determined to find the truth\u00a0before\u00a0Ana\u00a0takes the fall and their own long-buried\u00a0history\u00a0comes to light.”\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn\u00a0Served Him Right<\/a>, I did a deep dive into the idea of female power \u2014 how it is perceived, how it is quashed, how it is wielded,” Unger says of the new novel. “The idea of the woman as someone intimately connected to the earth, as a life-bringer looms large, but equally fascinating to me was how a certain type of woman might use her knowledge of the earth, its medicines and its poisons, to take control of her situation, to save herself, protect herself and maybe even to exact revenge.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Below, get a sneak peek at an exclusive excerpt shared with PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n Lisa Unger.<\/p>\n Brian James<\/p>\n The sound of the doorbell moves through me like an electric shock, sitting me bolt upright, leaving my skin tingling.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n No one else seems bothered, or to have even registered the interruption.\n<\/p>\n Iggy glances at her phone, looking at photos of the baby \u2014 every few minutes it seems. Payton and Esme are whispering about something obviously very important. Only Vera acknowledges the ringing doorbell. She doesn\u2019t rise but looks to April, who gives a nod and heads to the door.\n<\/p>\n How much is Vera paying the mousy little thing that she\u2019s always at my sister\u2019s beck and call, lingering in the shadows of all our functions? She\u2019s barely there, big glasses, and weird eyes \u2014 one brown, one green. Plain white Keds, faded loose-fitting jeans. Basic.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She comes back and whispers to my sister. Vera\u2019s eyes catch mine. Then she rises and glides from the room.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d asks Iggy, still gazing at her phone.\n<\/p>\n I shake my head, get up and follow my sister. Stopping in the entrance to the octagonal foyer with its black-and-white tile floor, I peer around the towering vase of flowers on the round table in the center. Through the open door I see that there are two police cruisers in the drive. A pair of uniformed officers stand behind a tall man in a suit, who holds out a gleaming gold shield in a leather case.\n<\/p>\n Him.\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE App<\/a> is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d be seeing each other again. My mind starts to grapple for why he would be here at my sister\u2019s door. Under my confusion, there\u2019s a little thrill.\n<\/p>\n I don\u2019t like his expression. Eyes heavily lidded, face stubbled, a thick head of dark hair, mouth kind of pouty. He obviously thinks a lot of himself. One of those men who\u2019s always sure of his position.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Also: He\u2019s a cop?\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d I hear myself say. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d\n<\/p>\n My sister turns to me. She doesn\u2019t utter a word, but I hear it all the same.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n What did you do?\n<\/p>\n \u201cHoney,\u201d Vera says softly. The loving older sibling, offering kindness and support. Her stare is like a cattle prod. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She moves and puts her arm tight around my shoulders.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d I ask, heart in my throat. \u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Ana Blacksmith?\u201d I don\u2019t like his voice. It\u2019s cold, official. I guess we\u2019re acting like this is the first time we\u2019ve met. I\u2019ll go along with that.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d My throat constricts.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Detective Timothy Bandeau from the Little Valley Police Department. I am afraid we have some difficult news. The body of Paul Hayes was discovered by hikers this morning. We understand you were in a relationship.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The space tilts a little. A veil comes down, separating me from reality.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe broke up,\u201d I manage to say. \u201cA few weeks ago. How? How did he die?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unclear at the moment, but we suspect foul play. Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt him?\u201d\n<\/p>\n This is where I\u2019m supposed to break down, right? But I stand rigid, eyes locked with the detective\u2019s.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Can I think of anyone who would want to hurt Paul?\n<\/p>\n Ha.\n<\/p>\n They are legion. Some of them are even in this house.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen was the last time you spoke with Mr. Hayes?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure. A while.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cCan you be more specific?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI thought he was in Aruba with his new girlfriend.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cApparently not.\u201d\n<\/p>\n ‘Served Him Right’ by Lisa Unger.<\/p>\n Park Row<\/p>\n He pulls his mouth into a sympathetic grimace. But it\u2019s all an act. \u201cCan I ask you to come with us to the station, Ms. Blacksmith?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cAs if.\u201d A voice from behind me. \u201cThat\u2019s a hard no. Unless you have a warrant for my client\u2019s arrest.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Payton presses up beside me \u2014 all Jimmy Choo and Chanel Number 5. I practically cry out with relief.\n<\/p>\n The detective smiles wanly, gives Payton an up and down.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a first,\u201d he says. \u201cYour lawyer got here before I did.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s brunch,\u201d I say weakly.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n It was supposed to be girl talk and flowers, mimosas and croissants. I leave out the part about how this gathering was called to erase Paul Hayes from our online lives, the ex-orcism. It seems inappropriate now. Potentially incriminating, actually.\n<\/p>\n