Delta Dawn has a way with photos. She has a way of making family photos shine. She can make unhappy and sullen children look happy and engaged. That’s what she does—she photographs family moments, especially children’s birthday parties, making lasting memories for parents who want to display the success and warmth of their families. And those parents are willing to pay her for her services.

But when Amelia Straub hires her for Natalie’s 11th birthday party, everything changes for Delta. She had looked the Straubs up online before the party. She knew they were architects. She knew about their gorgeous house. But what she didn’t know in advance is how she’d feel when she walked in that beautiful house,. It made her feel like she was special too. It made her feel like she belonged. And she wanted to hang on to that feeling as long as she could.

Delta can tell that Natalie likes her, so she uses that to her advantage, offering to stay and watch her one evening when the Straub’s babysitter can’t make it. Occasionally, Delta picks up the dry cleaning for Amelia. She starts going out with a friend of Amelia’s just to stay in Amelia’s orbit. She would do just about anything to stay in Amelia’s orbit.

But it’s what she does at home, in her small New York apartment that brings her the greatest sense of satisfaction. That’s where she photoshops her pictures. Sometimes it’s just a matter of adding a little light, to show more joy on a face. Sometimes it’s Delta putting herself into her client’s pictures. She’s sharing a laugh with Amelia. She’s sharing some cake with Amelia. She’s sharing Amelia’s husband.

Delta knows that she is walking a fine line. The more time she spends in Amelia’s orbit, the closer Delta gets to people finding out the truth about her. Can she keep her new place in the Straub family long enough to take advantage of the giant opportunity right in front of her?

The Photographer is a domestic thriller filled with a growing sense of unease. The creepiness factor is high in this debut from Mary Dixie Carter, and if you’re like me, you will not be able to look away until you get to the end. The writing is beautiful, the characters strong, and the questions are never-ending. Just like Robin Williams’ masterful performance in One-Hour Photo, The Photographer puts on display human desperation and invites us to feel what it’s like to need a family so much you’ll do anything to make it happen.

I love a good domestic thriller, and this one is excellent. Carter brings the goosebumps over and over as we see through the eyes of a woman who will not give up on what she wants. She has spent her whole life creating a persona who will fit in with her rich clients. But given the chance to become one of them for real, she is faced with a series of choices that can bring her ultimate happiness or banishment from everything she’s been working towards. It’s difficult for an author to find that tightrope between too creepy and dishwater dull, but Carter has found that perfect balance and walks it all the way to the end. If you love a good creeper, The Photographer is for you.

Egalleys for The Photographer were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.