Lay Your Body Down

‘Lay Your Body Down is an emotionally charged and unnerving thriller. Dangerous secrets, complex characters, and more than one “oh my God” moment. You won’t see the twists coming.’ * Samantha Downing, bestselling author of A Twisted Love Story *
‘In Lay Your Body Down, Amy Suiter Clarke perfectly captures the stifling air of small towns and insular churches. More than a murder mystery, this is an excavation of betrayal, revealing the ugly truth that has propped up so many life-destroying lies.’ * Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things *
‘Amy Suiter Clarke’s Lay Your Body Down has everything I love in a good thriller—family drama, a determined main character, and an unflinching look at a timely issue. The story of Del Walker returning home to confront her past—and members of the corrupt mega church that was once the center of her life—will stay with you long after you reach its gripping conclusion.’ * Kellye Garrett, award-winning and Edgar-nominated author of Like A Sister *
‘Powerful and intricately nuanced, Lay Your Body Down is the kind of reading experience that stays with you long after the final page. Amy Suiter Clarke has created a novel as thought-provoking as it is propulsive. With a carefully winding plot and incisive commentary on religion, community, autonomy, and the long reach of the past, this story is perfect for book clubs, because it inspires so many conversations. A truly stunning sophomore novel.’ * Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here *
‘Enthralling…[A] salacious mix of small-town cults and amateur sleuthing.’ * Publishers Weekly *
‘A small-town murder mystery that is also a searing examination of rigid religious ideology, the mindset and psychology of indoctrination, and the devastating consequences for women’s lives and autonomy. Lay Your Body Down is not only a gripping thriller, but a nuanced and compelling exploration of faith, family, power and accountability.’ * Dinuka McKenzie, author of The Torrent and Taken *
‘A devastating portrait of a cult like institution and a town in its thrall.’ * New York Times *
‘A powerful and alluring novel about mob mentality, indoctrination, and confronting one’s demons…Gripping and nuanced.’ * Readings Monthly *
‘Chilling!’ * Kate Mildenhall *
‘Clarke expertly delivers plenty of great twists and reveals through to the last page. But it is much more than this. It is an exploration of the dangerous and exploitative power of religion in the hands of unscrupulous and charismatic leaders.’ * Pile By The Bed *
‘As someone who was raised in church, I thought the depiction of putting forth a “joyful” outward appearance while struggling on the inside was so relatable and well done. This story is haunting and will stick with you long after the last page has been turned.’ * CrimeReads *
‘Terrifically terrifying…Lay Your Body Down may ostensibly be about the death of one man but it comes to reveal a much darker and deeper violence being perpetrated against women.’ * 2SER: Final Draft *
‘This mystery/thriller examines the intrusion of church doctrines into family spaces…Befitting the genre, the twists and turns are plentiful.’ * Good Reading (4 stars) *
‘In every truly great thriller, there needs to be a fantastic twist; Lay Your Body Down will fill your quota for a year.’ * Australian *
‘This book is the definition of a page turner.’ * 2SER: Final Draft *

Amy Suiter Clarke is the author of psychological thrillers, including her debut Girl, 11. Originally from a small town in Minnesota, she completed an undergraduate degree in theatre in the Twin Cities and earned an MFA at Kingston University in London. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and twin sons.

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