THE ANATOMY OF DESIRE
by L. R. Dorn (Trapeze £14.99, 320 pp)
Written by two successful American screenwriters under a pseudonym, this deliciously contemporary story focuses on a social media influencer, Cleo Ray, who has it all: hundreds of thousands of followers for her fitness advice and a rich and successful boyfriend.
But Cleo is torn between him and her old friend Rebecca (Beck), so on her way to join Finch for a hiking trip in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, she and Beck take a canoe trip on a deserted lake.
Less than an hour later, Beck is found drowned and Cleo has disappeared. What happened? A manhunt is launched and Cleo is eventually discovered with her boyfriend in the mountains — where she’s arrested for murder.
So begins a fascinating courtroom drama, witnesses each telling their stories as the plot unfolds. It reveals a compelling, poignant portrait of sexual desire in our social media age.