IT WILL LAST LONGER

A young photographer's desperate financial situation leads her into the morally murky and historically rooted world of death portraiture in this chilling contemporary thriller. Viv's acceptance of a lucrative job photographing a wealthy man's deceased mother plunges her into a subculture where Victorian-era mourning practices collide with modern desperation, creating an atmosphere of palpable dread long before the body count begins to rise. The narrative's steady, clear-eyed approach to these ghastly photo sessions makes the increasingly sinister situation feel entirely plausible, while historical context about death masks and postmortem photography adds disturbing depth to the modern-day horror.

Brooks masterfully maintains tension through continuously revolving perspectives that create both intimacy and urgency as Viv's world grows increasingly perilous. The author explores heavy questions about social media morality with a mordant touch, occasionally shifting to detached Discord chats between true-crime enthusiasts and news accounts that provide breathing room before plunging readers back into LA's claustrophobic streets. This clever structural approach allows the thriller to examine our cultural fascination with mortality and digital legacy while delivering genuinely unsettling suspense that will linger with readers long after the final page.