EVERYBODY KNOWS THE STORY…
NOBODY KNOWS THE TRUTH
PRE-ORDER FOR JANUARY 27, 2026
A page-turning suspense debut about a woman infamous for escaping a cult as a teenager, whose future is threatened when dangerous secrets come back to haunt her—perfect for fans of Jessica Knoll and The Girls.
Lucy Golden is a true-crime icon, infamous for the murder she committed while escaping a California cult twenty years ago. But as everyone in Los Angeles knows, fame is fleeting, and Lucy and her story are always just one news cycle away from obscurity. Not to mention, she’s fending off a stalker and moderating an icy feud between her acclaimed photographer mother and her scandalous rock star sister. Worst of all, online trolls are asking increasingly threatening questions about the legendary crime. Questions that could tear her life apart.
So when a hotshot documentarian makes her case the subject of his next film, Lucy sees a chance to silence any doubters once and for all. But as filming begins, she must return to the California desert and come face-to-face with a cast of players from her torrid history. Of course, the past is never what it seems, and long-buried secrets soon collide with present-day threats. Can Lucy stop her doubters from digging up the truth before it’s too late? And how far will she go to protect the story she’s been telling—and selling—all along?
Told in a narrative split between the present day and Lucy’s hit memoir about her fated summer in the cult, Paper Cut combines psychological suspense with coming-of-age Californian cult noir and a sharp examination of the true-crime phenomenon. As incisive as it is propulsive, this mesmerizing debut will keep readers hooked until the last page.
EARLY PRAISE
“Darkly addictive with a blistering pace and puzzle-box structure, PAPER CUT takes all the juiciest elements of true crime and assembles them in a dazzling new constellation. Elegant and smart, readers will find Taff’s debut as intoxicating as the cultish outpost at its core, and just as terrifying, too. An absolutely stunning crime novel.”
“Gorgeously written, with an arch, seductive narrative voice and a timely dissection of the true-crime industrial complex, PAPER CUT stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best cult thrillers, particularly those that interrogate how women might use sensationalist crime narratives to shape their own identities. Taff is an exciting new voice.”
“A twisty, coming-of-age thriller that will have you thinking about hero worship, the lure of fame, and the search for belonging.”
“Propulsive, poignant, and laced with gorgeous prose, PAPER CUT has everything I want in a thriller. It’s a debut that sings with truth and sizzles with twists, forcing the reader to examine their own relationship with art and true-crime-as-entertainment. Rachel Taff is a new auto-buy author for me.”
“Haunting and propulsive, Rachel Taff’s PAPER CUT delves into the darker side of what makes an artist, who gets a voice and why the pursuit of the truth is often the most treacherous path. This is a sharp debut with a broken yet beating heart, splashed against the trainwreck allure of true crime as a genre, where trauma is mined for entertainment, marking the steep price we all pay for admission.”
“PAPER CUT is razor-sharp, dark, and propulsive. Rachel Taff exposes the shadows beneath survival and celebrity—the stories we tell to stay free, and the lies that warp our days. Mesmerizing and unflinching, gripping and twisty, I’d follow Lucy Golden anywhere. An explosive debut from a bold new talent.”
“PAPER CUT is so intoxicating and unputdownable that I basically absconded from society until I finished. Rachel Taff has crafted an unforgettable thriller that sears and redeems in equal measure.”
“What a scorcher! So evocative is Rachel Taff’s desert setting that I swear I could feel the sand between my teeth. PAPER CUT is a dishy yet razor sharp exploration of how far people will go to preserve fame, power, and our darkest secrets. This one is not to be missed.”
“Fraught with tension and propulsively told, PAPER CUT confronts our collective fascination with cults and true crime. As Lucy’s unraveling drags you kicking and screaming into the spiral of her past, Taff’s writing will capture your attention until the very end.”
“Rachel Taff’s psychologically astute debut PAPER CUT enthralled me with its twisty revelations and immersive storytelling. In tautly written alternating timelines of past and present, Lucy Golden’s secrets are carefully unraveled. An utterly fascinating meditation on the perils of fame and the desire to control the story of your life at all costs.”
“PAPER CUT is a rare find: a debut crime novel that’s gripping, accomplished, original and entertaining. This is fiction with a true crime edge. A story that reminds us the media is just a prism through which the world’s worst events are distorted, and that individual stories can be far more twisted and shocking than anyone could possibly imagine… a fabulous story, beautifully told and with echoes that reverberate long after the final page”
“Smart, twisty, and evocative. PAPER CUT drew me in with its Hollywood personalities, desert cultists, and buried secrets, but it kept me reading with its insights into the nature of art and family. I tore through PAPER CUT in a single weekend, transported to its noirish west coast settings and enthralled by Taff’s masterful storytelling. The kind of book you thrust into your best friend’s hand so that you can discuss: what’s the difference between our lies and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive?”
“Thought provoking and entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. A twisty turny and satisfying novel. An exceptional debut. ”
“An electric debut that peels back the glossy surface of fame to expose the wounds beneath. PAPER CUT is both a pulse-racing thriller and a searing meditation on who owns the truth of a story. It’s an intricately woven novel that’s part psychological suspense and part emotional gut-punch. I’m jealous of everyone who gets to read this unflinching debut for the first time.”
“Dark, shocking and impossible to put down. It’s a long time since I’ve read a book where I’ve had to keep sneaking off during the day to read a bit more, like a teenager! Fantastic.”
“I raced through PAPER CUT in great big gulps. It’s so cleverly constructed, a compelling, tightly-plotted page-turner. What I loved most is that it’s not just a matter of lies and truths. There are also half-truths and well-it-depends-how-you-look-at-it-truths. It has such a brilliant cinematic feel to it, I hope it gets snapped up for a screen adaptation if it hasn’t already.”
“PAPER CUT slices deep—into memory, into pain, into the fragile truths we try to hide. A brilliant debut that lingers like a scar.”