2025 PenCraft Book Award: Suspense



Readers' Favorite International Gold Medal Winner



Audrey Mae Scott has felt the sting of her mother's whipping stick far too many times. Unlike her little brother, Harry, she must do whatever she's told without question . . . or else. Her only solace from her fear and loneliness comes from writing about her plight. Though outwardly obedient, Audrey refuses to give up on her dreams, and she is determined to never become like her mother, Edith.



Unhappily married to penniless Clarence Scott, Edith Scott blames everyone but herself for her lowly lot in life. Sick of being shunned and desperate to get revenge on the snobby 'do-gooders,' she devises a scheme to gain wealth and power. Sacrificing her daughter is a small price to pay.



When Edith discovers one of Audrey's diaries, her reaction is extreme. Audrey begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse, unaware of how her mother's grip on reality is slipping. As her mother slides into madness, the cost of Audrey's independence may prove to be too high.