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Caroline Kepnes
Caroline Kepnes is the author of the thrilling psychological suspense novels You and Hidden Bodies. Her work explores the dark side of obsession and the complexities of modern relationships.
Hidden Bodies
Synopsis
In the second Joe Goldberg novel, Joe leaves New York behind and follows a trail of grievance to Los Angeles, hunting the woman who wronged him. But Hollywood has its own gravity, and Joe soon finds himself drawn into the sun-bleached world of aspiring actors, screenwriters, and the idle rich.
When he meets Love Quinn, a warm, wealthy chef and heiress, Joe believes he may finally get the second chance — and the family — he has always felt he deserved. Yet the bodies of his past do not stay buried, and the closer Joe gets to the life he wants, the more precarious his careful lies become.
Caroline Kepnes trades Manhattan for L.A. in a blackly comic thriller that skewers celebrity culture and self-invention while deepening the seductive, self-justifying voice of one of crime fiction's most unsettling narrators.
Genres
Characters
Joe GoldbergProtagonist
The obsessive narrator, now seeking revenge and reinvention in Los Angeles.
Love QuinnSupporting
A wealthy chef and heiress who becomes Joe's new fixation.
Frequently asked questions
How closely does this book align with Season 2 of the Netflix adaptation?
While the second season of the television series uses this novel as its source material, the two diverge drastically. Major characters from the show, such as Ellie, do not exist in the book, and the entire plotline involving Joe stealing Will Bettelheim's identity and using a plexiglass cage in Los Angeles is completely absent from the novel [1.1.3].
Does the narrative style change from the first book?
Unlike the first novel, which is written entirely in the second person addressing the target of Joe's obsession, this sequel shifts to a more conventional first-person perspective. This change reflects Joe's shifting focus and psychological state as he navigates a new environment.
Can this book be read as a standalone?
Reading the first novel, You, is highly recommended before starting this book. The plot of this sequel begins as a direct consequence of the events and characters from the end of the first book, particularly Joe's quest for revenge against a character named Amy Adam.