DANIELLE LACARAK
author of psychological thrillers with
dark secrets, gripping plots, and strong female leads
Beneath the surface of Orchid Hill’s polished exterior, something dark is waiting to be uncovered.
​​Cass Maccabee thought her new life in the Gardens of Orchid Hill would be perfect—a luxury home, an ideal neighborhood, and a promising future. But when she arrives, she can’t shake the feeling that something is off. There are whispers of secrets, hidden motives, and a dark past no one dares to speak about.
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As Cass becomes entangled in the lives of the women around her, she senses that behind their perfect smiles and flawless facades, danger and deception are lurking. In a world of high-tech comforts and traditional charm, the walls of Orchid Hill hold more than just gossip—they hide truths that could destroy everything.
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With strong female leads and an air of suspense that keeps you guessing, The Garden of Wives is a psychological thriller where nothing is as it seems, and trust is a dangerous game. The deeper Cass digs, the more she realizes that appearances are only part of the story—and the real terror lies in the secrets buried beneath the surface.
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The Garden of Wives is exclusively at
Amazon!
Available now on Audible.
A special Book Club Edition of The Garden of Wives is coming soon, featuring a chilling reader guide, behind-the-scenes insights, and Blair’s infamous party punch—because in Orchid Hill, even the drinks have secrets.
I could not put this book down. It's filled with psychological thriller as well as sci-fi. the perfect mix of the two. It reminds me of the Netflix series "behind her eyes" where a mad psychologist plays around with his wife's consciousness, but the book does this in a deeper more complex way. The author does a great job at describing each character. It was easy to understand, and the book is very immersive. you can get lost in this book so easily. 10/10
From the very first page, The Garden of Wives hooked me with its razor-sharp prose and unsettlingly perfect setting. Danielle LaCarak has crafted a gleaming suburban dreamworld with a rotting core, and I couldn't tear myself away.
The characters are layered, flawed, and fascinating - each woman navigating ambition, motherhood, desire, and danger in her own way. I loved the slow unraveling of secrets, the shifting alliances, and the way the tension builds into a climax that’s as emotionally resonant as it is shocking.
This book is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies and The Stepford Wives, but it still feels wholly original. LaCarak has a gift for writing suspense that feels intimate and intelligent. I’ll be thinking about Orchid Hill and its fierce, complicated women for a long time.
Dark and disturbing...A heart-wrenching page-turner...Never a dull moment...A powerful story with real-world implications. I couldn't put this book down! Danielle LaCarak is a fresh new voice in the literary world that demands to be read. I highly recommend this book! And I highly recommend you keep your eye out for anything that comes next from LaCarak. She is a writer to watch!
COMING SOON...
Nothing Good Grows Here
On the surface, Cape Cod in 1999 is all sun, sand, and summer freedom—tourists flooding in, teens jumping off bridges for thrills, and every night humming with possibility. But for fifteen-year-old Abi Trevore, the brightness never quite reaches home. Her perfectly curated life hides secrets she can’t name, and a father whose gaze lingers too long in the wrong places.
Then Sandra Tate arrives.
Quiet, magnetic, and impossible to read, Sandra slips into Abi’s world like a shadow that understands her. The girls forge a bond built on daredevil nights, stolen rides, cigarettes, and whispered promises of escape. Blood-sister vows turn into something darker as they begin to see patterns in their town—rumors about missing girls, a local legend that doesn’t feel like a legend, and danger hiding in plain sight.
But the deeper they dig, the more they realize:
The rot isn’t in the woods. It’s in the people who claim to love them.
And once you’ve seen the truth, you can’t pretend it isn’t there.
A haunting coming-of-age thriller about loyalty, power, and the terrifying moment a girl discovers what she’s really capable of.​
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Danielle LaCarak, a Roger Williams University alumna with a BFA in Creative Writing, masterfully navigates the murky depths of moral complexity in her thrilling narratives. A Cape Cod native turned West Coast dweller, Danielle infuses her work with a dynamic blend of suspense and emotion. Beyond her typewriter, she’s a voracious reader, an avid gamer alongside her husband, and a devoted mother of plants. Dive into her debut novel and join her literary adventures on Instagram @daniellelacarak.
“A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.”
