THE INVITATION

A psychological suspenseful novel about a friendship ruptured by obsession, secrets, and betrayal, with shocking twists that don't stop until the very end.

When Gemma, a young widow, lands her daughter Bee a scholarship to an elite private school in the Bay Area, she is thrilled. When Ruth, a wealthy divorcee, meets Gemma and Bee - another single mom and daughter duo, she quickly claims them as her prize. Ruth and her daughter Marley are social outcasts even before the first day of kindergarten. A friendship quickly forms between the two families: Gemma and Bee depend on Ruth's wealth, and Ruth and Marley rely on Gemma and Bee's social contacts with the other moms and kids. But as the years go by, Gemma can't shake the feeling that she's accruing an increasingly unpayable debt. When Ruth's affair with a married dad at the school is outed, Gemma finds an opportunity to put distance between them.

Years later, a new scandal leaves a weakened Gemma at Ruth's mercy. The girls, now teenagers, have barely spoken in years. Marley is overweight and depressed; Bee wields her popularity like a weapon. Still, they are friends again and Gemma can't help but hope for the best. The renewed friendship rehabilitates both Gemma's and Ruth's reputations but once again, Gemma starts suspecting that her friend is not as generous as she seems. Then Bee begins acting strangely, and the families find themselves hurtling toward a confrontation that is entirely shocking.

The Invitation is a relentless psychological page turner about obsession, secrets, betrayal. As the book toggles between Gemma, Ruth, Marley, and Bee, we learn each one is hiding something - and that in these families, secrets are very well kept - until the very last page.

Melanie Gideon is the author of Wife 22 and her books have been translated into 31 languages.