Despite the suspicion it casts on her, Gabby Fielding adamantly protests the ruling of her ex-husband's death as suicide: Baines was simply too committed to winning their no-holds-barred custody battle to kill himself. Gabby's suspicions are validated by rogue journalist Rob Greene, who believes Baines' so-called suicide is connected to several other influential men's questionable deaths, insisting they were all targeted by a secretive vigilante cabal. Gabby's skepticism toward Greene's conspiracy theory vanishes after Greene is killed in a hit-and-run. Meanwhile, Jessa Hill, a rising star among DC's divorce attorneys, reaches out to her powerful mentor, Judge Retta Swain, as a high-stakes case threatens her career. Retta cryptically warns Jessa of greater threats unless she aligns with the ultra-secret Sophie Foundation's mission to punish abusers outside of legal constraints. Gabby and Jessa, frenemies since law school, both become the foundation's targets, and survival demands that they team up. #MeToo meets Grisham's The Firm here, for a twist-filled take on DC's legal scene.

This gripping thriller from Kane (Pretty Little Wife) focuses on the Sophie Foundation in Chevy Chase, Md., a charitable organization set up by a group of influential women to fund special projects relating to women's health and welfare. Some members, though, take a hands-on approach to dealing with men they consider risks to the community. Gabby Fielding, who's in a contentious child custody battle with her ex-husband, Baines, arrives at his house one day to find him dead, blood oozing from a gunshot wound to his head. The police rule it a suicide, but Gabby is unconvinced. She begins to suspect that Baines's demise is part of a string of suspicious deaths of prominent men. Meanwhile, divorce lawyer Jessa Hall, a law school classmate of Gabby's, is at a low point when she receives an invitation to join the Sophie Foundation. Jessa jumps at the chance to be part of this powerful and well-connected band of sisters, but she soon has regrets. Skillfully intertwined chapters told from the viewpoints of Gabby, Jessa, and others keep the suspense level high. Only a too neat ending disappoints. Readers will be curious to see what Kane does next. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Dec.)

What has Jessa gotten into when she grabs that invitation to join the Sophie Foundation? Once a month, its members meet over a civilized spread of wine and cheese, consider the outré behavior of a few men, and decide which one will die. Following the film-optioned Pretty Little Wife and The Replacement; with a 100,000-copy paperback and 30,000-copy hardcover first printing.