"It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs. Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything ... That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go ..."--Provided by publisher.

フリーダ・マクファデンが描く本作は、社会の周縁に生きる女性の「復讐と救済」を冷徹に綴った傑作です。語り手ミリーの脆さと強さが同居する独白は読者の倫理観を激しく揺さぶり、密室という舞台装置が人間の醜悪な本性を鮮烈に暴き出します。洗練された「予測不能な裏切り」の構築術は、まさに現代心理サスペンスの到達点と言えるでしょう。 映像化により豪華なペントハウスの閉塞感は視覚的な恐怖へと昇華されましたが、ミリーの繊細な内面描写や叙述トリックの深みは、活字ならではの醍醐味です。映像の持つスピード感と、小説が湛える底知れぬ沈黙。この両メディアが重なった時、物語はさらなる衝撃を伴って読者の魂に深く刻まれます。