The Trap

In this twisted debut thriller, a reclusive author sets the perfect trap for her sister’s murderer ― but is he really the killer?

For eleven years, the bestselling author Linda Conrads has mystified fans by never setting foot outside her home. Haunted by the unsolved murder of her younger sister ― who she discovered in a pool of blood ― and the face of the man she saw fleeing the scene, Linda’s hermit existence helps her cope with debilitating anxiety.

But the sanctity of her oasis is shattered when she sees her sister’s murderer on television. Hobbled by years of isolation, Linda resolves to use the plot of her next novel to lay an irresistible trap for the man. As the plan is set in motion and the past comes rushing back, Linda’s memories ― and her very sanity ― are called into question. Is this man a heartless killer or merely a helpless victim?

MELANIE RAABE is the internationally bestselling author of The Trap and The Stranger Upstairs. The Shadow, her third novel, spent eighteen weeks on the Der Spiegel bestseller list when it was published in 2018. She lives in Cologne, Germany.

IMOGEN TAYLOR is a freelance literary translator based in Berlin. She is the translator of both The Trap and The Stranger Upstairs, as well as Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango and Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit.