Ashley Winstead makes her fiction debut with the edge-of-your-seat academic thriller In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. It's been 10 years since Jessica Miller graduated from a prestigious North Carolina university. She did well in college both academically and socially, earning good grades and becoming part of an exclusive clique called the East House Seven. The East House Seven's social status was destroyed during their final semester, however, when one member, Heather, was brutally murdered in her dorm room and another member, Jack, was suspected as the killer.
Jessica and Jack, who both live in New York City now, have stayed in touch, but Jessica, who narrates the novel, doesn't dare tell the other members of their group that she thinks Jack is innocent. Meanwhile, Jack can't risk showing up at their 10-year reunion, but the rest of them do. Together for the first time in a decade, tensions are extremely high among the five friends. As the reunion weekend progresses, members of the East House Seven begin to reveal shocking secrets that will tear them apart.
Taut and atmospheric, with scenes from Jessica's childhood and college years interposed with the dramatic events of the present day, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife will keep readers guessing until the very last moment. Perfect for fans of dark academia, the well-drawn characters will remind many of their own college days. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is a twisty, literary thriller not to be missed. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Flagstaff, Ariz.