Synopsis:
Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.
When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.
But the questions grow more and more intense and invasive. And the sessions become outings during which Jess is told what to wear and how to act. She gets the sense that Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking . . . and what she’s hiding. As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real . . . and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments.
Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
Authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen serve up an electrifying novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.
Review:
Sarah Pekkanen was the successful author of eight books, including The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat when she teamed up with former Simon & Shuster editor Greer Hendricks to pen their debut New York Times bestseller, The Wife Between Us. The collaboration was so successful, they have partnered again on An Anonymous Girl. There is no “sophomore slump” for the pair.
As the story opens, Jessica Farris is struggling to make ends meet when she agrees to serve as a test subject in a psychological study focusing on ethics and morality conducted by Dr. Lydia Shields, a preeminent psychiatrist in New York City. The story swings into high, tantalizing gear from the very beginning when Jessica, an independent makeup artist, completes the initial questionnaire. Soon the study’s scope ramps up from questionnaires to actual tasks that Jessica is expected to perform. But the line between reality and the things Jessica is asked to do for Dr. Shieds blurs along with the border that divides right and wrong, ethical and unethical.
It soon becomes clear to Jessica that Dr. Shields not only knows what she is doing at all times, but also what she is thinking. Somehow, Dr. Shields also is aware of the aspects of her family history that she hides out of guilt and remorse.
Before long, Jessica is being manipulated by Dr. Shields . . . or is she? Seemingly caught in a web woven by Dr. Shields of attraction, deceit, and jealousy, Jessica discovers that obsession fuels the so-called study and believes she has become a pawn in a deadly game that has already resulted in one death. Has she really? Is Jessica truly being used by Dr. Shields to carry out a dangerous plan from which she does not know how to extract herself . . . or is she paranoid?
An Anonymous Girl creatively and inventively explores age-old questions employing a unique premise. “When money and morality intersect, the results can illuminate intriguing truths about human character. People are motivated to break their moral compasses for a variety of primal reasons: survival, hate, love, envy, passion. And money.” But how far is Jessica willing to go to protect herself and her family . . . and free herself from Dr. Shields?
The tautly-crafted story never drags. Instead, the unexpected plot twists and surprises propel the action forward right up to the jaw-dropping conclusion that most readers will never see coming. The story will leave readers pondering the limits of their own moral compasses and, for that reason, is an excellent choice for book clubs.
Also by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen:
Also by Sarah Pekkanen:
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