piece it together february 2026
uk pre-order links
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
“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 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.”
“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.”
“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. ”
“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.”