The Arrangement
A Pretty Woman tale turns toxic and deadly in this provocative and riveting thriller of sex, obsession, and murder from Robyn Harding, the “master of domestic suspense” (Kathleen Barber) and the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Party and Her Pretty Face.
Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates, and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favors are optional.
Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.
So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.
Emotionally powerful and packed with page-turning suspense, The Arrangement delves into the sordid, all-too-real world of shadowy relationships between wealthy, powerful men and the young women who are caught in their web.
Her Pretty Face
Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.
A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.
Until she meets Kate Randolph.
Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart.
Because one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunik. And she’s a murderer.
Her Pretty Face is a tale of lies, deceit, and betrayal, asking the question: Can people ever change? And even if they can, is it possible to forgive the past?
The Party
Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?
But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah, is exposed.
Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the picture-perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other.
About Me
I am the internationally bestselling author of The Arrangement, Her Pretty Face. and The Party which was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel. I have also written four novels of contemporary women’s fiction, a young adult novel, and a comedic memoir with an environmental focus. I am the screenwriter and executive producer of the independent film, The Steps which premiered at TIFF and was the closing gala film at the Miami International Film Festival. I live in Vancouver, BC with my husband, two kids, and a seven-pound dog with no teeth.
Book Clubs
If you’d like to discuss my books at your next book club, I’d be happy to join you. You can contact me at info@robynharding.com to arrange a Facetime or Skype visit. If you are in the Vancouver, B.C. area, I can join you in person. Or e-mail me some questions. I will do my best to answer them.
You can find the reading group guide to Her Pretty Face here.
And you can find the reading group guide for The Party here.
For rights requests or information, please contact my literary agent, Joseph Veltre at JVeltre@gersh.com.
For review copies or publicity requests, please contact my publicists.
In the US: Jessica Roth at Jessica.Roth@simonandschuster.com
In Canada: Catherine Whiteside at Catherine.Whiteside@simonandschuster.ca
In Australia: Kirsty Noffke at Kirsty.Noffke@simonandschuster.com.au
You can contact me directly at info@robynharding.com