Lady or the Tiger
Penguin Young Readers Group · Hardcover · June 10, 2025
A twisty, darkly seductive anti-hero origin story, starring a teenage killer whose trial in the Wild West is upended when her first victim, her husband, arrives alive with a story to tell.
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- Who it’s for
- A moody mix of history, romance, and a little sharpened danger.
- Genres
- 19th-Century US YA, YA Mysteries, YA Crime Thrillers
- Published
- Penguin Young Readers Group, June 10, 2025
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The Corpse QueenHeather M. Herrman63% matchShares 19th-Century US YA and YA Mysteries
We Shall Be MonstersTara Sim60% match
To the BoneAlena Bruzas56% match
Queen BeeNikki Patel, Amalie Howard55% match
Girl on TrialKathleen Fine55% matchShares YA Mysteries and YA Crime Thrillers
For older readers: Harlem Sunset, A Curse of Blood and Wolves, The Princess and the P.i.
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A twisty, darkly seductive anti-hero origin story, starring a teenage killer whose trial in the Wild West is upended when her first victim, her husband, arrives alive with a story to tell. Summer 1886—When nineteen-year-old Belle King turns herself in for murder, the last thing she expects to see is her abusive husband Reginald standing outside her Dodge City jail cell, impossibly alive. He’s there to take her back, but Belle is not going without a fight.
Continue reading
Reginald was the first man she ever meant to kill, but certainly not the last . . . Now, while there are still bars between them, Belle is forced to resort to all the tricks in her arsenal to prevent her husband from ever being in control of her again. But in the 1880s, the last soul anyone will believe is a girl—even when she confesses to her own crimes. With the seductive horror of a fairy tale, Lady or the Tiger is the dark, twisty story of how one mountain girl from Kentucky became the wickedest woman in the Wild West and an ode to girls with tigers in their hearts who can save themselves.
Edge and Atmosphere
A moody mix of history, romance, and a little sharpened danger.
Come here for
- Edgy genre blend
- Romance with supernatural suspense
Expect
- Sustained tension
- A brisk, immersive read
Where it sits
| 19th-Century US YA | 78% |
|---|---|
| YA Crime Thrillers | 33% |
| YA Mysteries | 33% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- 19th-Century US YA
- YA Mysteries
- Thrillers & Suspense
- Authors
- Heather M. Herrman
- Publisher
- Penguin Young Readers Group
- Published
- June 10, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Reading lane
- 19th-Century US YA