We live in a world where true-crime podcasts and streaming series are all the rage. But how often do we spend time thinking about the families of the killers and whether or not they are complicit in these evil deeds?

That is the premise of THE DEATH ROW CLUB, V. A. Vazquez’s debut novel. Imagine if a club was made primarily for the children of convicted serial killers, a place where they can commiserate with the only people on the planet who might understand how they feel. Of course, they might have other things on their mind and, having already been pushed to the edge by society, could be capable of nearly anything.

"Vazquez keeps the story moving forward at a violent speed with a number of twists and surprises.... THE DEATH ROW CLUB is an ideal summer read and should be one of the most talked-about debut novels of the year."

The book’s morally ambiguous protagonist is Nicola Fischer, an elementary school teacher who finds herself out of a job and facing a life in total upheaval after the true-crime TV show “To Catch a Killer” airs. Recent episodes focus on her father, a serial killer currently on death row. Among his many victims is her best friend, Claire, which she still has trouble coming to terms with. The series has left viewers believing that Nicola may have known about and/or been involved with her father’s devious deeds, which has turned her into a huge social pariah.

The opening sequence set at Nicola’s home in Oliante, New York, depicts the moment when police burst through their front door to cuff and take away her father. Nicola will never be able to get past such a traumatic event. He is labeled the Ellicott Creek Ripper, and the exposé about him is covered by Greer Woods, who is able to get Nicola on tape in a move that permanently will cement her career as an educator in a negative light.

Just when she believes that all hope is lost for a normal life, Nicola receives an envelope with an invitation to attend the annual retreat of the Death Row Club. She ultimately decides to accept the invite, hoping to seek closure that she may receive merely by being around like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds and family relationships. 

Nicola meets a young man named Zach on the flight to Seattle, and he introduces himself as another member of the club. The small group meets at the airport and is shuttled deep into the woods after a lengthy drive where the hidden retreat is located. Imogen will lead group discussions and other activities, while Connor collects all of their electronic devices. Also in attendance is Greer, who has a connection with everyone there, especially Nicola.

When a young woman calling herself Stefani shows up unexpectedly, things begin to feel odd. The next morning, Nicola and Greer come across the body of one of the guests while swimming in the nearby lake. When Nicola learns that it was not a drowning but a murder, everyone realizes that something else is at play. This is all amplified by the fact that Stefani has suddenly disappeared with one of their vehicles.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and Nicola appears to be at the center of everything that has happened and all that is still to come. Vazquez keeps the story moving forward at a violent speed with a number of twists and surprises. Most importantly, she never allows the narrative to become predictable or reduce it to a mere B-movie kind of horror/slasher work. 

THE DEATH ROW CLUB is an ideal summer read and should be one of the most talked-about debut novels of the year.