In My Dreams I Hold a Knife: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Jessica thought her homecoming college reunion would be a chance to reconnect with old friends and an opportunity to finally prove them all wrong, to force them to really notice her. As a student at Duquette University, she'd stumbled into a close-knit friend group, but after the brutal murder of one of their classmates, the group had fractured and splintered, each with a heavy dose of guilt. Now with a high-powered job and a salary to match, Jessica hopes to show everyone how successful she's become, bringing closure to collegiate years marred by insecurity and grief. But the weekend holds other plans, forcing Jessica to confront the long-buried memories of Heather's last night alive and to relive the past with the friends who had been there all along. Winstead paints Jessica as an ambitious striver who's been consistently overlooked and a woman unable to fully remember a night she can't forget. Packed with intrigue, scandal, and enough twists and turns to match Donna Tartt's The Secret History, this is a solid psychological-thriller debut.

Successful if depressed New York City consultant Jessica Miller, the narrator of Winstead's captivating debut, decides to attend her 10th reunion at North Carolina's Duquette University, despite the risk of reopening old wounds surrounding the stabbing murder of Heather Shelby, who belonged to a clique known as the East House Seven, which also included Jessica and Jack Carroll, Heather's ex-boyfriend. Of the seven, only Jack declines to go, as every other member of the clique, except for Jessica, believes he killed Heather (the murder weapon was found in his room), though he wasn't convicted of the crime. At the reunion, Heather's brother, Eric Shelby, who works in the alumni office, takes the opportunity to interrogate Jessica and the others, certain one of them is the murderer. Flashbacks to their undergraduate days reveal deceit and disloyalty as well as Jessica's romantic and financial struggles. The tension rises as Eric refuses to let the group leave until the truth is uncovered. Winstead does an expert job keeping the reader guessing whodunit. Suspense fans will eagerly await her next. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong. (Aug.)

Jessica thought her homecoming college reunion would be a chance to reconnect with old friends and an opportunity to finally prove them all wrong, to force them to really notice her. As a student at Duquette University, she'd stumbled into a close-knit friend group, but after the brutal murder of one of their classmates, the group had fractured and splintered, each with a heavy dose of guilt. Now with a high-powered job and a salary to match, Jessica hopes to show everyone how successful she's become, bringing closure to collegiate years marred by insecurity and grief. But the weekend holds other plans, forcing Jessica to confront the long-buried memories of Heather's last night alive and to relive the past with the friends who had been there all along. Winstead paints Jessica as an ambitious striver who's been consistently overlooked and a woman unable to fully remember a night she can't forget. Packed with intrigue, scandal, and enough twists and turns to match Donna Tartt's The Secret History, this is a solid psychological-thriller debut. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

DEBUT College friendships and affiliations can mold and shape a person; so can a family's unrealistic expectations in this debut thriller by Winstead. Protagonist Jessica Miller feels the pull of her friends and her family as she plans a triumphant return to Duquette University for her 10-year reunion. Jessica did quite well for herself at Duquette (though her father wanted her to go to Harvard) and found a group of friends known as "the East House Seven." The group splintered 10 years ago when one of their own, Heather, was killed and Jack, another of the East House Seven, was accused of her murder. Though Jack wasn't convicted, his life was ruined. Now, 10 years later, Jessica, long obsessed with being No. 1 and perfect, wants to show her former friends how great her life is. When Jessica and the remaining East House friends reconvene, they learn that Heather's brother is intent on finding her killer—and he thinks it's one of them. Chapters jump between past and present, old secrets are revealed, motives are explored, and many head-snapping plot twists abound in this psychodrama. VERDICT Though some plot points strain credulity, and most characters are thinly drawn, Winstead's first novel successfully gets inside Jessica's head and conveys the excitement and terror of college days.

Successful if depressed New York City consultant Jessica Miller, the narrator of Winstead's captivating debut, decides to attend her 10th reunion at North Carolina's Duquette University, despite the risk of reopening old wounds surrounding the stabbing murder of Heather Shelby, who belonged to a clique known as the East House Seven, which also included Jessica and Jack Carroll, Heather's ex-boyfriend. Of the seven, only Jack declines to go, as every other member of the clique, except for Jessica, believes he killed Heather (the murder weapon was found in his room), though he wasn't convicted of the crime. At the reunion, Heather's brother, Eric Shelby, who works in the alumni office, takes the opportunity to interrogate Jessica and the others, certain one of them is the murderer. Flashbacks to their undergraduate days reveal deceit and disloyalty as well as Jessica's romantic and financial struggles. The tension rises as Eric refuses to let the group leave until the truth is uncovered. Winstead does an expert job keeping the reader guessing whodunit. Suspense fans will eagerly await her next. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong. (Aug.)