From the award-winning author of The Hole , a "Simmering" ( New York Times Book Review) and "Compelling" ( Wall Street Journal  ) thriller—"A mystery masterpiece . . . Hye-young Pyun at her best" ( Books & Bao ), named a "Best International Crime Novel of 2020" ( CrimeReads) and selected as one of "Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year" ( LitHub ) The Law of Lines follows the parallel stories of two young women whose lives are upended by sudden loss. When Se-oh, a recluse still living with her father, returns from an errand to find their house in flames, wrecked by a gas explosion, she is forced back into the world she had tried to escape. The detective investigating the incident tells her that her father caused the explosion to kill himself because of overwhelming debt she knew nothing about, but Se-oh suspects foul play by an aggressive debt collector and sets out on her own investigation, seeking vengeance. Ki-jeong, a beleaguered high school teacher, receives a phone call from the police saying that the body of her younger half-sister has just been found. Her sister was a college student she had grown distant from. Though her death, by drowning, is considered a suicide by the police, that doesn't satisfy Ki-jeong, and she goes to her sister's university to find out what happened. Her sister's cell phone reveals a thicket of lies and links to a company that lures students into a virtual pyramid scheme, preying on them and their relationships. One of the contacts in the call log is Se-oh. Like Hye-young Pyun's Shirley Jackson Award–winning novel The Hole , The Law of Lines is an immersive thriller that explores the edges of criminality in ordinary lives, the unseen forces that shape us, and grief and debt. A  "Best International Crime Novel of 2020" ( CrimeReads) and One of " Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year" ( LitHub ) "[A] simmering thriller." — The New York Times Book Review "[A] compelling ­existential thriller." — Wall Street Journal "This one is pure, hard-scrabble noir  . . .  A harrowing and elegiac portrait of a vast and alienated cityscape, populated by those who would do anything to keep themselves and their families from slipping under . "— LitHub , "Our 65 Favorite Books of the Year" " The Law of Lines is a mystery masterpiece of two interwoven and tragic narratives drawn along by power, fear, and corruption. Hye-young Pyun at her best." — Books & Bao "Definitely on my list." ―Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times , " Five Authors of Korean Thrillers You Should Be Reading " "This is one of those books that leaves you staring into nothing, thinking, 'Oh, the humanity. . . .' [A] cat-and-mouse thriller of desperate people on the edge of ruin . . . full of love and loss, betrayal and sacrifice, exploitation and kindness."—CrimeReads, "The Best Books of 2020 (So Far)" "To read this book is to be given a code to help decipher this indecipherable world. . . . The unexpected loss of an under-appreciated father and a misunderstood half-sister, their deaths wrapped in suspicion, brings the two protagonists into each other’s paths. Is their meeting a nightmare? Or does it bring hope? After making their way through this irrational world that the author has thrown us into, the reader will find themselves on surer ground."―Kyung-sook Shin, international bestselling author of Please Look After Mom “ Pyun slices off a piece of the most everyday layer of life, places it on a slide, and reveals to us the cellular division of emotions that we’ve never seen before. She surprises us and makes us think, 'So this is what life has looked like all along?'” ―Un-su Kim, author of The Plotters " A compelling thriller that uses a familiar story frame to interrogate the way grief shapes our lives ."― Cyn's Workshop "Slowly, Se-oh's and Ki-jeong’s investigations come together as they uncover a cultish pyramid scheme with links to both of their pasts.  Readers’ groups and fans of literary suspense will find appeal in this dark meditation on the destructive power of self-deception."― Booklist "Another first-class novel from the South Korean writer . . . A very well-told tale, with twists and unexpected turns."— The Modern Novel Blog "An enigmatic narration that edges up to morality and criminality . . . You will find yourself consumed by how these characters grapple with their losses and the weight and gloom of their everyday lives."—Cr acking the Spine Praise for  City of Ash and Red AN NPR 2018 GREAT READ   A BARNES & NOBLE BEST HORROR BOOK OF 2018 “ City of Ash And Red  will pull you into its nightmare. . . . I've taken to calling it  High-Rise  if J.G. Ballard took on a whole neighborhood instead of just one luxury apartment building. It's a good book and it's a nasty one. . . . Whether you want to believe this is a grim look at the human condition or an exciting bit of weird fiction, it's worth a read.”― NPR “Hye-Young Pyun creates a dark allegory of humankind