Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Killing Lily by Jillian Gardner is a taut, psychological thriller that will have readers captivated by its plot twists. Sunnyside is a rural religious community that many would brand as a cult. Here, the men hold all the power, and the women are subservient and compliant. Lily is the daughter of the community’s founder, Thomas, but since her father’s death, she and her mother have been ejected from the leader’s residence and now live the same hard, physical life as all the other women at Sunnyside. Lily’s only true friend and comfort is Mae, but Mae is not prepared to follow the harsh rules and regularly rebels and is punished for her infractions, often involving Lily in her misdeeds. The newly installed leader, Prophet Ben, has, however, taken a shine to Lily and plans to marry her, a prospect that terrifies the young woman and something she is prepared to do almost anything to escape. 

Killing Lily is a cleverly constructed tale reminiscent of the world portrayed in The Handmaid’s Tale, where men use their strength, superior size, and power to dominate the women under their control, all in the name of serving “Father God”. Author Jillian Gardner has created two wonderful characters in Lily and Mae who play off against each other perfectly, each providing what the other lacks. I appreciated the subtle and not-so-subtle techniques the men of Sunnyside employed to enforce their biblical misogyny, so reminiscent of cults everywhere. After all, if Prophet Ben said it and he speaks directly with God, then it must be gospel truth. The plot twists took me by surprise (no easy task), and I must commend the author for her clever techniques. The supporting cast in this drama all add something important to the overall theme, which for me was that appearances can be deceptive and everyone is entitled to the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. This is an enjoyable, well-written, and surprising novel that I greatly enjoyed. I highly recommend this read.