Spin Cycle

Agnes, Siobhan and Myrna all work in their local launderette. Agnes, betrayed by her husband, is fascinated by tales of true crime -- particularly the murder of her glamorous cousin Vina, killed years ago. Myrna, meanwhile, dreams of romance but craves sex and money; with mounting debts, she enters a shadowy world fraught with danger. Siobhan, the most reclusive of the three, spends her time conjuring the details of people's lives through their laundry -- her fantasies becoming gradually more and more treacherous.

Blacker and more ambitious than "Negative Space," Zoe Strachan's vibrant second novel is illuminated by her light observational touch, deft characterization and gift for creating -- and sustaining -- suspense.