Second Nature

Obsession and depravity shatter suburban life and academia in this compelling double dose of psychological suspense, pairing two complete novels and two rare short stories, from six-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Joyce Carol Oates. Perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Donna Tartt.

Celebrating 40 years of pseudonymous suspense from Joyce Carol Oates. Four decades ago, acclaimed literary author Joyce Carol Oates penned her first novel of psychological suspense under the name "Rosamond Smith." In the Smith books, Oates explored themes of betrayal and deception, lust and murder, through stories involving twins, doubles, and hidden second identities—initially, keeping her own double identity a secret.

Hard Case Crime is proud to bring these extraordinary works of crime fiction, long unavailable in bookstores, back into print in definitive double editions, each pairing two complete novels and two never-before-collected Oates short stories, all linked thematically, to weave a sinister web filled with dark reflections.

In this volume, a model suburban husband grows obsessed with a beautiful stranger in "Double Delight," while an eminent professor preys on a vulnerable student in "Nemesis"—and the echoes continue in the rare short stories "A Girl Worth Twenty Million" and "First Death."