You may have seen Jeneva Rose on TikTok, where she went viral by posting a video about defending her husband in court after he was accused of murdering his mistress. The story even hit The Daily Mail. But…that was just the plot of her novel The Perfect Marriage.
When I walked into my local Barnes & Noble and saw her new novel, One of Us Is Dead, I had to buy it. Not just because I appreciate a good whodunit, but because I had been in a writing group with the author a few years ago, before I’d moved back home. In that group, I got to read the first couple chapters, and I’d been waiting years to find out where the story would go.
It’s one of the joys of being a writer to see other writers you’ve met doing well with what they love. So I’m not going to pretend to be 100% impartial, but lucky I don’t have to be. I really enjoyed the book.
In the vein of Big Little Lies, the story revolves around a small group of very wealthy wives in an affluent community. Only here, they’re in Georgia, and their social circle revolves around an exclusive hair salon. When one of the women is murdered, the salon’s owner, having heard years of drama and gossip, may know enough to figure out who killed her.
In this town where status is everything, one of the queens of the social scene is divorced by her senator husband in favor of a much younger woman, who becomes the newest member of their salon society. Other regulars include a beautiful villain who is easy to hate for her lack of compassion, and a successful real estate agent who is starting to question her own marriage.
Like in Big Little Lies, we don’t know who the murder victim is until much later in the book, making it as much of a mystery as who did it. And while the mystery is engaging, it’s just as interesting to dive into this priveleged society where everyone is constantly jockying for position. It’s well worth the read. And while you’re at it, definitely follow @jenevaroseauthor on TikTok, where she banters with her husband Drew and shares funny takes on Twilight and other movies.