Dear Hanna - by Zoje Stage

About the Book

"Hanna is no stranger to dark thoughts: as a young child, she tried to murder her own mother. But that was more than sixteen years ago. And extensive therapy--and writing letters to her younger brother--has since curbed those nasty tendencies. Now twenty-four, Hanna is living an outwardly normal life of domestic content. Married to real estate agent Jacob, she's also stepmother to his teenage daughter Joelle. They live in a beautiful home, and Hanna loves her career as a phlebotomist--a job perfectly suited to her occasional need to hurt people. But when Joelle begins to change in ways that don't suit Hanna's purposes, her carefully planned existence threatens to come apart"--

Book Synopsis

Zoje Stage delivers another knockout with a blood-chilling follow-up to international sensation Baby Teeth, taking readers back into the unsteady world of a young sociopath who's all grown up.

Hanna is no stranger to dark thoughts: as a young child, she tried to murder her own mother. But that was more than sixteen years ago. And extensive therapy--and writing letters to her younger brother--has since curbed those nasty tendencies.

Now twenty-four, Hanna is living an outwardly normal life of domestic content. Married to real estate agent Jacob, she's also stepmother to his teenage daughter Joelle. They live in a beautiful home, and Hanna loves her career as a phlebotomist--a job perfectly suited to her occasional need to hurt people.

But when Joelle begins to change in ways that don't suit Hanna's purposes, her carefully planned existence threatens to come apart. With life slipping out of her control, Hanna reverts to old habits, determined to manipulate the events and people around her. And the only thing worse than a baby sociopath is a fully grown one.

With its dark humor and chillingly seductive protagonist, Dear Hanna is a standalone sequel sure to thrill returning and new readers alike.

Review Quotes

"All will squirm uncomfortably and yet be unwilling to look away, furiously turning the pages until the final twist is revealed. A great choice for those who enjoy the work of Sarah Pinborough, Catriona Ward, and Katrina Monroe." --Booklist

"Zoje Stage takes us into the disordered mind of her conscience-free protagonist, and it's not a pretty sight...Dear Hanna is a good read." --New York Journal of Books

"Original, memorable, deftly crafted, horrifically chilling, Dear Hanna is a simply riveting read from start to finish...Very highly recommended..." --Midwest Book Review

"Once you get inside the head of this suburban whirlpool of psychological madness, there is no escape until the shocking final pages." --Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall

"The most unsettling child you've ever read about is all grown up . . . Just like our dear Hanna does with her beloved charcoals, Zoje Stage masterfully draws you into a story made up entirely of shades of gray. You won't know what to believe, you won't know who to pull for, and you won't put it down until the last page is turned." --Tony Wirt, bestselling author of Just Stay Away

"Oh, but this is a deliciously nasty piece of work. Dear Hanna succeeds brilliantly on so many levels: as an ingenious follow-up to Baby Teeth, as a stand-alone thriller, and as one of the best, most squirm-inducing portraits of a deviant schemer this side of Gone Girl. However, Stage never skimps on the humanity of her characters; impossibly, you'll feel for Hanna almost as much as you'll dread whatever she's capable of doing next." --Nat Cassidy, author of Mary and Nestlings

"Hanna is back! Filled with churning suspense, visceral tension, and a touch of endearing hilarity (for Hanna really does try so hard to be good, in her own uniquely Hanna way), Dear Hanna is an utterly satisfying revisitation of an unforgettably chilling character. Zoje Stage's storytelling is as sharp and unflinching as ever, and whether you're reuniting with Hanna or meeting her for the first time, she's sure to get under your skin and stay there." --Kathleen Willett, author of Mother of All Secrets and Anything for a Friend