> Skip to content
  • Published: 16 February 2021
  • ISBN: 9780593187739
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.99

The Lady Upstairs



"A racy and hard-to-put-down piece of neo-noir."--Washington Post

A modern-day noir featuring a twisty cat-and-mouse chase, this dark debut thriller tells the story of a woman who makes a living taking down terrible men...then finds herself in over her head and with blood on her hands. The only way out? Pull off one final con.

"A racy and hard-to-put-down piece of neo-noir."--Washington Post

A modern-day noir featuring a twisty cat-and-mouse chase, this dark debut thriller tells the story of a woman who makes a living taking down terrible men...then finds herself in over her head and with blood on her hands. The only way out? Pull off one final con.

Jo's job is blackmailing the most lecherous men in Los Angeles--handsy Hollywood producers, adulterous actors, corrupt cops. Sure, she likes the money she's making, which comes in handy for the debt she is paying off, but it's also a chance to take back power for the women of the city. Eager to prove herself to her coworker Lou and their enigmatic boss, known only as the Lady Upstairs, Jo takes on bigger and riskier jobs.

When one of her targets is murdered, both the Lady Upstairs and the LAPD have Jo in their sights. Desperate to escape the consequences of her failed job, she decides to take on just one more sting--bringing down a rising political star. It's her biggest con yet--and she will do it behind the Lady's back, freeing both herself and Lou. But Jo soon learns that Lou and the Lady have secrets of their own, and that no woman is safe when there is a life-changing payout on the line.

A delicious debut thriller crackling with wit and an unforgettable feminist voice, The Lady Upstairs is a chilling and endlessly surprising take on female revenge.

  • Published: 16 February 2021
  • ISBN: 9780593187739
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $32.99

Praise for The Lady Upstairs

Praise for The Lady Upstairs
"[A] sizzling debut. . . Sutton's assured and moody prose often channels the best classic LA noir, but this deliciously tawdry and twisty tale is entirely her own. Readers who savor crime stories featuring complex, unapologetic women will be hooked. A scorching, knockout noir from an author to watch."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Crackling with wit and style, The Lady Upstairs is as noir as they come. It's compulsively, irresistibly readable -- and it'll take you places you'll never guess. Think you know how it all turns out? You don't."--BookTrib

"Sharp, sexy, and unrelentingly devious, The Lady Upstairs is a page-turner that will leave you breathless. Set in darkened bars and hotel rooms across Los Angeles and starring the feminist antihero of our dreams, this is a debut that is not to be missed."--Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and Follow Me