The Swallows

(Paperback)

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A new teacher at a New England prep school ignites a gender war with deadly consequences in a provocative novel from the bestselling author of The Passenger and the Spellman Files series.

What do you love What do you hate What do you want

It starts with this simple writing prompt from Alex Witt, Stonebridge Academy's new creative writing teacher. When the students' answers raise disturbing questions of their own, Ms. Witt knows there's more going on the school than the faculty wants to see. She soon learns about The Ten the students at the top of the school's social hierarchy as well as their connection to something called The Darkroom. Ms. Witt can't remain a passive observer. She finds the few girls who've started to question the school's 'boys will be boys' attitude and incites a resistance that quickly becomes a movement. But just as it gains momentum, she also attracts the attention of an unknown enemy who knows a little too much about her including what brought her to Stonebridge in the first place.

As the school's secrets begin to trickle out, a boys-versus-girls skirmish turns into an all-out war, with deeply personal and potentially fatal consequences for everyone involved. Lisa Lutz's blistering, timely tale shows us what can happen when silence wins out over decency for too long and why the scariest threat of all might be the idea that sooner or later, girls will be girls.

Reviews

Riveting . . . full of imagination and power Caroline Kepnes, author of You and Providence; I devoured The Swallows. Youll laugh out loud even as you anxiously flip the pages New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen; In her witty and charming style, Lutz offers a genre-busting work of fiction that will satisfy readers looking for a seriously engaging read. The story itself is disturbingly plausible, and the humanly flawed characters make choices, good and bad, based on their backgrounds, all blending smoothly into a darkly comedic mystery... This novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats while opening a conversation about public shaming, economic privilege, gender inequity, and revenge versus justice Booklist (starred review) ; It's the era of #MeToo, and literature is beginning to reflect that in a big way. In Lisa Lutzs The Swallows, a prep school teacher ignites a gender war when she begins the question the institution's overpowering boys will be boys mentality. She soon learns that starting a revolution and threatening the status quo comes with steep consequences Bustle; A new teacher at a ritzy New England prep school ignites a fierce battle between the male and female students that ends with revenge, threats, and a fatality. So, just another average day in high school... just kidding PopSugar; The latest campus novel teetering between thriller and satire, Lutzs book throws readers into the drama of a New England prep school, where one inscrutable new teacher brings about ideas that ignite a deadly gender-war Entertainment Weekly; Liza Lutz is a treasure. Her Spellman Files series manages to be both charming and shrewd, and The Swallows promises to follow suitit looks witty and caustic, winsome and clever. Its also, and this is a classic Lutz move, a fresh, unique spin on a genre that already has been reworked a million times. . . . Lutz, searing as ever . . . illuminate[s] how various institutions excuse the oppression or silencing of women and girls CrimeReads; [Lutz] takes no prisoners. . . . She builds her plot cannily and walks a neat line between satire and realism [in a] withering portrayal of how the #MeToo movement plays out in this rarefied setting Publishers Weekly; Lutz draws on the droll humor and idiosyncratic characterizations that make her Spellman novels so appealing... An offbeat, darkly witty pre-#MeToo revenge tale. The patriarchy doesnt stand a chance Kirkus Reviews; With a memorable cast of characters and more than a few secrets, Lutzs latest is a turbocharged tale for our times Newsweek; Extraordinarily fun and blood pressure-raising . . . The Swallows goes surprising places (axes are employed) and isnt afraid to let everyone roll around in the muckthough some characters come out smelling sweeter than others Vulture; Wes Anderson meets Muriel Spark in this delicious and vicious battle of the sexes set within a private school. Wickedly fun and wildly subversive but packing an emotional punch, The Swallows is as powerful as it is timely Nationally bestselling author Megan Abbott ; Sharpen your axes, ladies, and get ready for this fierce, fun, unsparing novel of female rage, power, and friendship Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy; PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR; "Told with enormous verve and at a breakneck pace, the story twists and turns like a corkscrew" Daily Mail; "Psychological suspense lovers will tear through this thriller, a new direction for best seller Lutz (How To Start a Fire)" The Library Journal; "Lutzs complex web of finely honed characters will keep readers turning the pages" Publishers Weekly; [Lutz] steps smartly out of her comfort zone to write a dead-serious thriller (with a funny bone) about a Wisconsin woman who dashes cross-country when her husband dies in a fall and she knows shell be accused of killing him" Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review; Lutz's comedic novels about the Spellman clan are terrific, but this stand-alone is darker and trickier and, for me, funnier Elmore Leonard funny Carole E. Barrowman, Minneapolis Star Tribune; Lutz develops riveting suspense by slowly revealing the events that first sent [her main character] on the run, while pouring threats on her gritty heroines increasingly tenuous bids at survival. Binge-worthy fare, especially for those drawn to strong female protagonists Booklist, starred review; At the outset of The Passenger, Lutz's narrator knows that her only chance for freedom is to lose herself, and thus, leaving one dead man behind, she hits the diamond lane of Americaand storytellingwith a carload of identities, including the reader, who is carried along as both passenger and pursuer. This tenacious and resourceful heroine will keep you chasing, rooting, lip-biting, and above all reading until you reach the ending you never saw coming. My advice: buckle up Tim Johnston, New York Times bestselling Author of Descent; "A sharp, clever, and utterly compelling thriller about a woman running from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past. Terrific" Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and The Accident; "With whip-smart writing and a breakneck pace, The Passenger's clever plot twists and sharp characters are sure to keep you guessing long into the night, hoping against hope that its complex protagonist isn't nearly as guilty as she seems" Kim McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia;

Author Bio

Lisa Lutz is the author of the bestselling series, The Spellman Files, Her most recent novel, The Passenger, was described as "Spellbinding" by The Daily Mail. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including an Alex Award, and nominations for the Edgar, Barry, Anthony awards, among many others.