The Cage

by Bonnie Kistler

Overview

Only One of Them Gets Out Alive

“A delicious thrill-ride of breakneck twists and turns, underpinned by complex characters ensnared in risky relationships. Evoking Grisham and Highsmith, Bonnie Kistler is a masterful plate-spinner of plot, deftly weaving together the worlds of fashion, high finance and white-shoe law to reveal their seamiest secrets and shared underbellies, all via characters who live, breathe, and scare the hell out of us on every page.”—Cassidy Lucas, author of Santa Monica

“An absolutely spellbinding thriller. . . . An utterly engrossing and thoroughly entertaining story.”—Booklist (starred review)

Combining the propulsive narrative drive of The Firm with the psychological complexity of The Silent Patient, a gripping and original thriller about two professional women—colleagues at an international fashion conglomerate—who enter an elevator together . . . but only one is alive when they reach the ground floor.

On a cold, misty Sunday night, two women are alone in the offices of fashion conglomerate Claudine de Martineau International. One is the company’s human resources director. Impeccably dressed and perfectly coiffed, she sits at her desk and stares somberly out the window. Down the hall, her colleague, one of the company’s lawyers, is buried under a pile of paperwork, frantically rushing to finish. 

Leaving at the same time, the two women, each preoccupied by her own thoughts, enter the elevator that will take them down from the 30th floor.

When they arrive at the lobby, one of the women is dead. Was it murder or suicide?

An incredibly original novel that turns the office thriller on its head, The Cage is a wild ride that begins with a bang and picks up speed as it races to its dramatic end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063089143
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	22,543
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Bonnie Kistler is a former Philadelphia trial lawyer. Born and raised in the horse country of Pennsylvania, she attended Bryn Mawr College, where she graduated magna cum laude, with Honors in English literature, and she received her law degree from the University of the Pennsylvania Law School, where she was a moot court champion and legal writing instructor. She and her husband now live in Florida and the mountains of western North Carolina. They have two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

12/06/2021

At the start of this exciting psychological thriller from Kistler (House on Fire), Shay Lambert, a lawyer at Claudine de Martineau International, and Lucy Barton-Jones, the company’s HR director, get on an elevator in the fashion conglomerate’s administrative headquarters in White Plains, N.Y. A power outage stalls the elevator in mid-descent. Shay’s frantic calls from a cell phone that’s losing power suggest that Lucy is having a panic attack. When the elevator arrives at the lobby, Lucy is dead of a gunshot wound, the gun still in her hands. With only two people stuck in a dark elevator, Lucy’s death is either homicide—or suicide, as Shay insists. The police lean toward suicide, until the firm’s executives show evidence implicating Shay. The executives fear Lucy left incriminating paperwork about their nefarious business practices; charging Shay gives them the chance to bury the documents. Each detail of Shay’s life becomes fodder for suspicion, even the most innocent action. The suspenseful plot careens among various surprising twists toward a satisfying finale as Shay attempts to clear herself and expose the executives. Kistler is a writer to watch. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, JVNLA Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Cage is a firecracker of a novel: it starts out with a bang and keeps on dazzling until its final, thrilling page." — Jessica Barry, bestselling author of Freefall and Don't Turn Around

"The Cage starts with one of the most unique thriller setups I've ever read, and it keeps moving at warp speed. A must read." — Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of A Matter of Life and Death

“An elevator door opens, two women are found inside, one dead from a gunshot, the other alive. Suicide or murder? It doesn't get better than this superb thriller with tripwire suspense, intrigue, and smart women - set in the corridors of international high fashion. If you liked The Firm, you will love The Cage.” — Michael Elias, author of You Can Go Home Now

"From its audacious opening scene to its wallop of an ending, The Cage is a delicious thrill-ride of breakneck twists and turns, underpinned by complex characters ensnared in risky relationships. Evoking Grisham and Highsmith, Bonnie Kistler is a masterful plate-spinner of plot, deftly weaving together the worlds of fashion, high finance and white-shoe law to reveal their seamiest secrets and shared underbellies, all via characters who live, breathe, and scare the hell out of us on every page." — Cassidy Lucas, author of Santa Monica

“[An] absolutely spellbinding thriller. . . . An utterly engrossing and thoroughly entertaining story.” — Booklist (starred review)

“The suspenseful plot careens among various surprising twists toward a satisfying finale…. Kistler is a writer to watch.” — Publishers Weekly

“A psychological thriller that’s tailor-made to be read in one breathless session. It’s so fast-paced and wide in scope that it feels almost cinematic.” — BookPage

“The Cage is a brilliant set-up for a mystery that unfolds in the most delicious and unexpected ways. With legal intrigue and psychological twists, Kistler creates a truly unique and propulsive thrill ride!” — Wendy Walker, author of Don’t Look for Me

“Twisty. . . . brisk, well-researched.” — Washington Post

“Expertly drawn characters, urgent themes of global corruption and corporate evildoing, and a seriously clever premise make this a deeply satisfying and utterly unputdownable read from a brilliant and elegant writer.” — Bookreporter

From the Publisher

An elevator door opens, two women are found inside, one dead from a gunshot, the other alive. Suicide or murder? It doesn't get better than this superb thriller with tripwire suspense, intrigue, and smart women - set in the corridors of international high fashion. If you liked The Firm, you will love The Cage.

Michael Elias

[An] absolutely spellbinding thriller. . . . An utterly engrossing and thoroughly entertaining story.

Booklist (starred review)

"The Cage starts with one of the most unique thriller setups I've ever read, and it keeps moving at warp speed. A must read."

Phillip Margolin

"The Cage is a firecracker of a novel: it starts out with a bang and keeps on dazzling until its final, thrilling page."

Jessica Barry

"From its audacious opening scene to its wallop of an ending, The Cage is a delicious thrill-ride of breakneck twists and turns, underpinned by complex characters ensnared in risky relationships. Evoking Grisham and Highsmith, Bonnie Kistler is a masterful plate-spinner of plot, deftly weaving together the worlds of fashion, high finance and white-shoe law to reveal their seamiest secrets and shared underbellies, all via characters who live, breathe, and scare the hell out of us on every page."

Cassidy Lucas

09/01/2021

Kistler, who did nicely with her recent debut, House on Fire, comes up with an intriguing premise for her next novel. On a late Sunday night, two women—a company lawyer and the human resources director—leave the offices of fashion conglomerate Claudine de Martineau International and board the elevator on the 30th floor. By the time the elevator reaches the lobby, one of them is dead. But which one—and how? With echoes of Megan Goldin's The Escape Room; a 40,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal