Chick Noir

Chick Noir is a new category of fiction featuring bad girls or at least not entirely good ones. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn comes to mind. These are dark, edgy, psychological. Here, things may not always be what they seem.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

When a new cheerleading coach comes to school, she upsets the team’s dynamic by ousting the reigning captain and befriending Abby, the second-in-command. The team is transformed, but the new coach has a dark side. And what about Beth, the ruthless ex-captain who only wants revenge? You’ll never look at cheerleading the same way again.

A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read

Syracuse, N.Y. newspaper reporter and ex-debutante Madeline Dare tries to find out what really happened in the 20-year-old murder of two young women, the “Rose Girls.” The stakes grow higher when clues start to point to Madeline’s favorite cousin, Lapthorne Townsend.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Jodi, a Chicago psychotherapist, and Todd, her cheating husband, alternate in telling their story. When Todd tells Jodi he’s leaving her, she decides she has had enough and decides to get even.