Delilah S. Dawson has quietly, stealthily, become one of my favorite writers. Whether writing as herself or Lila Bowen, she delivers fantasy, science fiction, and horror with equal aplomb. No matter the genre sandbox she chooses to play in, you can always count on her work being filled with striking characters, propulsive plotting, immersive world building, and a sly wit that often brings surprising humor to the story.

Guillotine is no exception.

Dez is a fashion designer looking to get her foot in the door by meeting the editor-in-chief of a high-end fashion magazine, and she has a plan…date that editor’s son, a privileged, vacuous playboy named Patrick Ruskin. She has no interest in Patrick romantically. Dating him is strictly mercenary, a way to get to his mother.

When Dez manages to get herself invited to the Ruskin family’s annual Easter reunion on the island compound that’s been in the family for generations, she thinks she’s got it made.

The island, with an extravagant mansion as its centerpiece, turns out to be a ridiculously overwrought expression of extreme wealth, a fever dream of the very rich. Upon entry, Dez is forced to sign a brutal NDA, after which she’s drawn into the Ruskin’s world of privilege and power. What begins as an encounter with people who possess extraordinary, unlimited influence gradually becomes something far more unsettling. Dez discovers that the rules governing this rarified place are cruel, even inhuman, and that escaping them may come at great cost.

Dawson does something really interesting here, in that Dez is not particularly likable at first. She’s using Patrick to get ahead. It’s a compelling hook to hang the rest of her story on, and Dawson attacks it with gusto. When shit starts to go south, the reader finds themself rooting for Dez against all odds. That’s a neat trick to pull off.

Guillotine is a wickedly fun ride, overflowing with delightfully savage horror and subversive humor. This is at once a descent into the darkest corners of the human condition, and a revenge fantasy with sharp teeth. It’s Dawson at her best.