"Smart, thoughtful, and sensual." —Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists A gothic-tinged fever dream that reimagines the young American in France, Salomé follows an adrift journalist who accepts an alluring stranger’s invitation to stay at her home in a small French town, only to uncover a dangerous family history that could bend the course of humanity. Don’t open your eyes… Courtney notices Salomé the moment she steps onto the plane. She’s magnetic, quicksilver, and, best of all for incurable Francophile Courtney, French. So when Salomé invites Courtney to her mother’s town in northwestern France, Courtney doesn’t even have to think about it. But things are, almost immediately, surreal. Despite feeling right at home with Salomé, Courtney is confronted by a house outfitted with cameras and the dark, watchful presence of Salomé's mother. Courtney senses she should leave, but with Salomé she feels as if she’s rediscovered the "French Courtney," an alternate version of herself who made a life in France. That is, until she starts to experience paralyzing nightmares in which strange voices intone Don’t open your eyes . . . and encounters Salomé’s charismatic stepfather, Marco, whose pyramid-scheme vitamin company offers a tempting segue into an even more insidious group obsessed with eternal life. Or is it an actual cult? And how much does Salomé really know? As a conspiracy unfurls, Courtney is torn between her loyalty to Salomé and what might be the story of a lifetime, the kind that could make a journalist’s career—if it doesn’t kill her first. A modern reclamation of the original femme fatale whose story, until now, has been almost exclusively told by men, Salomé is a tantalizing, feminist tale exploring power, loyalty, connection, and the measures we’ll take to harness our deepest desires. "Baird's first outing offers plenty of well-executed and unexpected twists as well as timely themes. A perfect read for those who loved Sarah Pinborough's popular if polarizing Behind Her Eyes ." — Booklist "What begins as a tantalizing slow-burn transforms into a paranoia-fueled speculative thriller . . . This deserves credit for its ambition." — Publishers Weekly " Salomé reinvents the gothic for 2026, blending the moodiness and suspense of the genre's origins with a modern social consciousness. Baird's novel explores lust and friendship alongside the perils of today's world: corporate and technological greed; the erosion of privacy; the widening wealth gap. The result is a smart, thoughtful, and sensual retelling of a classic tale." — Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists "Reading this book feels like sitting on a velvet couch and drinking absinthe. Part gothic seduction, part cult psychology, Salomé reckons with how easily smart, searching women can be pulled toward the promise of transcendence . . . and what it costs when the fantasy talks back. I loved it." — Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of Wordslut , Cultish , and The Age of Magical Overthinking "Set in a secluded French town, Salomé is a hauntingly seductive exploration of desire, grief, and avarice. Baird’s lush, hypnotic prose had me in a trance from the very first page. A riveting debut!" — Monika Kim, internationally bestselling author of The Eyes are the Best Part "Sexy, bold, and impossible to put down. Salomé is an exhilarating and original reimagining of the young American in France, told through a seductive friendship between two women. Leslie Baird builds suspense with remarkable control as she explores the delicious thrills and dangers of obsession." — Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair "Baird’s prose is a bit like descending into a Parisian catacomb—at once darkly terrifying, and somehow simultaneously, bewitching. Salome is equal parts viscerally sharp and cloyingly subtle; scenes of swiftly fading girlhood, with its nostalgia and romances, are met by unexpected interludes on the science of immortality and the peril of extremist ideologies, all blurring elegantly into a scintillating balm which belies the desperate, cathartic, honesty at the novel’s center. The highest praise I can give any work of art, is that it has made me think. And Leslie’s novel has given me thoughts for many years to come." — Eilish Quin, author of Medea "Leslie Baird's debut is an alluring exploration of ambition, friendship, and secrets. If you had the chance to go on an unexpected adventure in a gorgeous place, wouldn't you consider taking it? Baird gives us this delicious opportunity from the first pages. This atmospheric, evocative novel will be a hit with readers everywhere. I can't wait to read what Baird writes next!" — Saumya Dave, author of The Guilt Pill "Leslie Baird’s Salomé is a gripping, sensual thriller about the perils of charm and unexpected connection. It explores the complicated space where hospitality thr