Royce’s prose is taut and propulsive. Ruby Falls inhabits a hallucinatory Hollywood where fact and fiction mingle freely and even the smallest acts can feel ominous—an enjoyable pastiche with plenty of twists and turns.”
- —Kirkus Reviews
Ruby Falls
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Winner of the Zibby Award
Best Plot Twist -
Veranda Magazine:
One of the 20 Most Riveting Books of Spring
Like the chilling psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, Deborah Goodrich Royce’s Ruby Falls is a nail-biting tale of a fragile young actress, the new husband she barely knows, and her growing suspicion that the secrets he harbors may eclipse her own.
When a little girl is abandoned by her father in a cave, can she grow up to be healthy and whole? Eleanor Russell is an actress at the top of her game when scars from a childhood wound begin to unravel the threads of her life. Fired from her show, she bolts to Europe and marries Orlando Montague, a man she has only just met.Back in Los Angeles, desperate to create the perfect life—new husband, new house, and a starring role in a Hitchcock movie remake—Eleanor believes it is all coming together. But her stability is threatened when Orlando reveals a sinister side, secrets from the past are unearthed, and the specter of the cave becomes unavoidable.
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Praise for Ruby Falls
Imaginative, unique, spine-tingling, and just the right amount of eerie, Ruby Falls is what a reader wants a psychological thriller to be.”
- —Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling author
Captivating thriller.”
- —Zibby Owens, author and host of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books
Deborah Goodrich Royce does an outstanding job of creating a contemporary parallel story that connects Rebecca and Ruby Falls. This is highly recommended reading for those who like gothic stories infused with psychological tension and introspection. The tale exposes the fine paradox between magic, family ties, and the boundaries of what is real and what is not.”
- —Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review
Ruby Falls will sweep you headfirst into the life of Eleanor Russell, an actress setting up house in the glamorous Hollywood Hills with her handsome new husband, Orlando. Secrets abound in this bang of a book, a haunting tale sure to give readers chills. A stunner with some serious Gothic vibes.”
- —Kimberly Belle, Internationally bestselling author of Dear Wife and Stranger in the Lake
A tribute to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, this unnerving story about a Hollywood starlet haunted by her past will captivate you right up until the shocking ending. A must-read for anyone who loves an expertly plotted thriller with multidimensional characters.”
- —Emily Liebert, USA Today bestselling author of Perfectly Famous
In 1968, young Ruby Russell loses her father while touring an underground cave. She recalls the moment his hand left hers, and nearly twenty years later, his disappearance remains a mystery. Ruby has reinvented herself as Eleanor Russell, married the man of her dreams, and is acting in a feature film. But as her new life beings to go awry, the mystery surrounding her past and present collide in a well-crafted and head spinning twist that I did not see coming. Ruby Falls is a skillfully plotted page turner!”
- —Wendy Walker, nationally bestselling author of Don’t Look For Me
Ruby Falls is a fantastic combination of a sweeping Hollywood story folded into a twisty thriller. Fans of Rebecca will be enthralled with how the classic story is woven into the masterful plot of Ruby Falls.”
- —Vanessa Lillie, Amazon bestselling author of Little Voices and For the Best
Mix a dark childhood trauma, a fragile young actress, and a hasty, ill-advised marriage. Add old Hollywood glamour, dashes of enchantment, and lashings of noir suspense. Now shake—and prepare to be shaken. Much more than a mystery, Ruby Falls is about stories - the ones we tell ourselves, the ones we tell others, and the dark gaps in between.”
- —Elka Ray, author of The Toby Wong Vancouver Island mystery series
Ruby Falls is a psychological tour-de-force that grabs you on page one and doesn’t let you go until the end. A compelling, engrossing, and truly suspenseful thriller that takes place in the mind of one woman struggling to overcome her demons.”
- —Kris Frieswick, author of The Ghost Manuscript
What a lovely ride! With fun twists and whip-smart language, clever Deborah Goodrich Royce leads readers down a familiar path—until she doesn’t. Lyrical and filled with page-turning suspense, I gulped every work and enjoyed every bite. I promise Ruby Falls will become your next favorite book!”
- —Maureen Joyce Connolly, author of Lovely Little Things
Brimming with Hollywood nostalgia, this mesmerizing and thrilling page-turner is impossible to put down. Deborah Goodrich Royce’s second novel, Ruby Falls, has all the elements of an addictive read: fascinating characters, quick pace, and an intriguing story full of suspense. Masterfully plotted, the story of Eleanor Russell, a young, impressionable actress, plagued by a childhood trauma, unfolds against the backdrop of a film production remake of Rebecca, in which she stars. A haunting, unforgettable thriller.”
- —Daniel Petrova, author of Her Daughter’s Mother
Ruby Falls takes the reader on a Ferrari ride through the twists and turns of the Hollywood Hills, moving so fast your hands are clammy and you can’t catch your breath. But you must! I was up until two am in the grip of this fast-paced modern twister of a gothic novel.”
- —Jane Ubell-Meyer, Bedside Reading, Founder