The Sham
After her parents' deaths on Cape Cod, reclusive 20-something Margo Sharpe lives alone in a crap apartment in South Boston. One problem: she can't afford it. So she rents her spare bedroom to Lucy Somers, a shy, allergic-to-everything school teacher. At first, they peacefully coexist; Margo manages to keep Lucy at arm's length. But Lucy starts to ask questions about Margo's past. Too many questions. Then, money goes missing. Relationships are hijacked. Dead rats appear all over the house. And it becomes clear, far too late, that Margo chose...poorly.
The Sham is a gripping, head-spinning game of cat and mouse, a night-mare union based on obsession and revenge—a complete sham.
Because neither is whom she seems. Who is Lucy Somers, and what exactly does she want?
And who, for that matter, is Margo Sharpe?
Nicole Barrell is the author of the psychological suspense The Hollow, called an "admirable debut...an engaging journey into a troubled mind, a promising novel" (Kirkus). Prior to her current writing and teaching career, Nicole worked in digital marketing, having earned her M.A. from Emerson College and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the honors college at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Nicole is a native of Cape Cod, where most of her stories are set. She now teaches there and lives outside Boston with her husband, toddler son, and dog-daughter, Lily the lab.
