What's Coming to You

In Shivani Jai's psychological thriller, What's Coming to You, Marilys Daniels falls for the charismatic Mason Goodridge and can’t believe it. Mason is everything any woman wants in a man. But she soon finds out that she is trapped in a marriage poisoned by his infidelity and her desperate desire for a family. Mari is pregnant when she discovers Mason's affair with her assistant Jeanine Alder, and their final confrontation turns deadly. Mason strangles Mari in a fit of rage and, with Jeanine's complicity, stages her death as a tragic car accident at the local quarry lake. But getting rid of Mari doesn’t make life any better for Mason: his mistress is more obsessive, his mother is suspicious, and the townsfolk don’t seem to believe his story. Moreover, something else haunts Mason, manifesting in terrifying ways — locked nursery doors and mysterious phone calls. Meanwhile, Detective Cora Hoxton works tirelessly to dismantle Mason’s alibis and unravel the truth. Can Mason ever get away with what he has done?

Shivani Jai delivers a complex character study through Mason's narcissistic sociopathy, Mari's tragic blend of strength and authenticity, and Jeanine's delusional obsession. These characters were exciting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them even for a bit. They are sophisticated, and each of them is genuinely flawed and believable. The setting in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest of Eastview felt like a place I knew, because it was so finely drawn, with details of the locals and imagery that reinforced a sense of place in the story. What is most intriguing is the way the author captures the gloomy atmosphere and the oppressive dread that settles over the Goodridge home. What's Coming to You is tangled in plot, and the mix of elements of police procedures and sleuth work, a tinge of horror, with moments like the appearance of Mari’s teeth in the toilet or the phantom baby monitor made the story irresistible to me. You’ll get a lot of tension in this tale. It is a terrific read that explores karmic justice, the violent entitlement of unchecked ego, and the insidious nature of gaslighting. Jai has crafted a story with a pacing that accelerates from domestic drama to psychological thriller, and at the explosive denouement, you are left with the conviction that some debts must only be paid in full.