The People You Trust: A Romantic Psychological Suspense

A disgraced celebrity chef lands in small-town upstate New York alongside her youngest sister, no plan, and nothing left to lose-until grief, complicated loyalties, and a forbidden attraction threaten the one thing she didn't expect to find: a reason to rebuild.

Rose Sullivan Montgomery is a Michelin-starred chef who traded the kitchen for the spotlight -- and paid for it. Accused of her husband's brutal murder, she walked away with an acquittal, but in the court of public opinion, she's still a murderer capitalizing on rich people immunity. With her dog Eamon and her youngest sister Billie nearby, she retreats to Millstone Falls, a quiet upstate New York community unprepared for her particular brand of fame. A kind of self-imposed exile, where she kneads the past into shapes almost bearable and indulges fantasies that always circle back to her eldest sister's husband -- the magnetic Mark Mulroney.

Two nights before her birthday, a reluctant evening out yanks Rose from her cocoon of safety, straight into the arms of Cain Hawkings, a developer gentrifying the town. What was supposed to be a fleeting distraction quickly turns sour when his interest grows too intense to stay casual, his knowledge too personal for a fan, his actions too hauntingly familiar to ignore. If the last five years taught her anything, it was to be wary of the things pretty on the outside. She was about to learn she'd been living on less truth and more a carefully plated version of it.

And some things, once exposed to heat, don't transform. They burn.

The People You Trust is the first novel in the Millstone Falls series, a contemporary psychological thriller with dark romance elements. For fans of Tarryn Fisher, Lisa Jewell, and Verity by Colleen Hoover.

Tropes: slow-burn romance, forbidden attraction, brother-in-law, age gap, taboo love, small town setting, stalker, second chance, dark psychological suspense, family secrets.

Note: This novel sits with hard things. Please take care if you're sensitive to pregnancy loss, suicidal ideation, or themes typical of the genres above.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Writers Apprentice Press
Published: 08/11/2026
ISBN: 9798995345107
Pages: 382
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.85d