Monster in the Mirror
- Judith D Collins
- May 28
- 2 min read
By: Janasha Prabhu
ISBN: 9781464290336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: 10/20/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: TBR (ARC)
Dark, twisty, and atmospheric debut thriller for readers of The Quiet Tenant and The Butcher.
Her uncle was a serial killer. The town whispers, could she be a killer too?
On the night Jiah Rai was found cradling her girlfriend Georgia's dead body at the bottom of Wailing Cliff, everyone suspected her. There wasn't enough evidence to charge her, but the town refuses to forget. Murder must run in the family. Jiah's uncle was a convicted serial killer, and while he died behind bars, his legacy lives on in Jiah and her sister. It doesn't matter that they've lived in Dumont their whole lives—they have never fit into the insular white community, and perhaps they never will
But legacy isn't done with Jiah just yet. A few years later, a threat from Georgia's brother threatens to crumble the shaky peace Jiah has rebuilt. Desperate to feel safe again, Jiah decides to take matters into her own hands and seeks support from her best friend, Estrella. After all, Estrella has been there for Jiah ever since they met after Georgia's death. But when Estrella never shows up to a dinner party, a series of texts lead Jiah to the beach below, where she finds a body positioned exactly how her uncle displayed his victims over a decade ago. The killer mocks Jiah, hinting they know about her secrets, too. But is Jiah really the monster Dumont thinks she is? As Jiah hunts the killer, she begins to realize she might be unable to save the next victim…and that she may not want to.
Praise
"Expertly paced and sharply written... Readers are in for a powerfully unsettling and compulsively readable debut."
― Saratoga Schaefer, USA Today bestselling author
"Janasha Prabhu’s gripping debut is the best kind of thriller: fast-paced, twisty, and unflinching... I couldn’t turn away."
― Penny Zang, author of Doll Parts
"As hypnotizing as it is devastating, Monster in the Mirror is the weekend read that will consume you... A crescendo of dread that culminates in a flawless ending. Debut author Janasha Prabhu proves a formidable talent that you won't want to miss."
― Elle Marr, Amazon Charts bestselling author of She Dies in the End
About the Author
Janasha Prabhu is a graduate of the University of Illinois with degrees in chemistry and computer science and is a fellow of the 2024 LitUp cycle through Reese’s Book Club.
She has adored horror ever since picking up her first Goosebumps book as a kid and enjoys in-corporating her experiences as a queer woman of color, her love for animals, and her interests in cooking into dark and twisted stories.
Janasha currently lives in Chicago with her two cats, Grimm and James, and loves catching the latest horror movie with her partner when she’s not writing. WEBSITE
