• A devastating portrait of a cultlike institution and a town in its thrall. It’s even worse than we imagined.

    New York Times Book Review

  • [A] salacious mix of small-town cults and amateur sleuthing.

    Publishers Weekly

  • There are midnight-snack-style thrillers, and those that stick with you. This one’s the latter.

    People Magazine

  • A powerful and alluring novel about mob mentality, indoctrination, and confronting one’s demons.

    Readings Bookstore

Cover of LAY YOUR BODY DOWN by Amy Suiter Clarke

Lay Your Body Down

After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and Del is convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.

When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has only grown in size and influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.

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Praise for Lay Your Body Down

  • "Lay Your Body Down is one part #tradwife sendup, one part megachurch murder mystery, and one part cathartic revenge by a woman scorned, peppered as expertly as a hotdish with Minnesotan flavor. Amy Suiter Clarke has written a fresh and irresistible mystery that pits a flawed underdog against the might of ‘respectable’ institutions and religious dogma. A brilliant, twisted, electrifying story about taking back control."

    Ashley Winstead

  • “Lay Your Body Down is an emotionally charged and unnerving thriller. Dangerous secrets, complex characters, and more than one “oh my God” moment. You won’t see the twists coming.”

    Samantha Downing

  • “Lay Your Body Down has everything I love in a good thriller – family drama, a determined main character, and an unflinching look at a timely issue. The story of Del Walker returning home to confront her past – and members of the corrupt mega church that was once the center of her life – will stay with you long after you reach its gripping conclusion.”

    Kellye Garrett

  • "Amy Suiter Clarke perfectly captures the stifling air of small towns and insular churches. More than a murder mystery, this is an excavation of betrayal, revealing the ugly truth that has propped up so many life-destroying lies."

    Bryn Greenwood

  • "Powerful and intricately nuanced, Lay Your Body Down is the kind of reading experience that stays with you long after the final page. Amy Suiter Clarke has created a novel as thought-provoking as it is propulsive. With a carefully winding plot and incisive commentary on religion, community, autonomy, and the long reach of the past, this story is perfect for book clubs, because it inspires so many conversations. A truly stunning sophomore novel."

    Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

  • “A small-town murder mystery that is also a searing examination of rigid religious ideology, the mindset and psychology of indoctrination, and the devastating consequences for women’s lives and autonomy. Lay Your Body Down is not only a gripping thriller, but a nuanced and compelling exploration of faith, family, power and accountability.”

    Dinuka McKenzie