Very Slowly All at Once: A Novel

“Devilishly twisted . . . I could not put down.”—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Famous Last Words and Wrong Place Wrong Time

“A must-read that ultimately begs the question of just how far any of us would go to hang onto the so-called American Dream.” —Marie Claire

A propulsive and wickedly entertaining debut thriller for fans of Laura Dave and Ashley Elston that explores the dark underside of the American dream, about a couple whose financial problems are seemingly answered when they begin receiving growing sums of money from an unknown source . . . a windfall that will carry an unthinkable price.

Money can’t buy happiness. But it can buy everything else.

Mack and Hailey Evans have worked hard to achieve their upper-middle-class life: promising careers, two beautiful children, and a brand-new house in the exclusive lakefront village of Bratenahl, Ohio. Not that everything’s perfect—aging parents, problems at work, and even the upkeep on their gorgeous house have been causing the couple increasing amounts of worry.

When a small check appears in their mailbox from a mysterious company named Sunshine Enterprises, Mack assumes it’s from his wealthy, estranged father, trying to buy his way back into their lives. Though he’d rather rip it up, Mack deposits the needed funds. To his surprise, the checks keep coming—each for an amount larger than the last. When Hailey finds out what’s going on, she has her own suspicions about the provenance of the payments. Despite growing uncertainty over the identity of their benefactor, Mack and Hailey keep taking the money. After all, there are bills to pay.

It is a choice with dark repercussions, as the couple soon learns the hard way that nothing in life is free. Suddenly, the Evanses find themselves in a harrowing arrangement with someone who will stop at nothing to get a return on their investment.

Debt is like fire, and someone wants to burn Mack’s and Hailey’s lives down to the ground.