A razor-sharp psychological suspense about two librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession.
No one knows Margo's real name.
Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.
That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom offers a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper - even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.
"Sims plumbs the depths of obsession and madness... deftly building the tension until the explosive ending" - The Washington Post
"Deliciously unsettling" - New York Times (Best Thrillers of 2023)
"
A fun and entertaining cat-and-mouse novel... a perfect book for when you just want to sit back, relax, and read about women behaving badly... you'll fly through the pages
" - Glamour
"Bringing workplace politics to a fever pitch, How Can I Help You is a delicious mystery begging to be enjoyed beachside. . . . Equal parts cozy mystery and nail-biter, Laura Sims' latest novel is sure to satisfy just about any thriller craving" - Rolling Stone
