Andrea Bartz (BSJ08, MSJ08)

The name of the elite women-only coworking space stretches across the wall behind the check-in desk: THE HERD, the H-E-R always purple. In-the-know New Yorkers crawl over one another to apply for membership to this community that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. Among the hopefuls is Katie Bradley, who’s just returned from the Midwest after a stint of book research blew up in her face. Luckily, Katie has an in, thanks to her sister, Hana, an original Herder and the best friend of Eleanor Walsh, the Herd’s charismatic founder.

Eleanor is a queen among the Herd’s sun-filled rooms, admired and feared even as she strives to be warm and approachable. But on the night of a glitzy Herd news conference, she vanishes. When the police suggest foul play, everyone is a suspect: Eleanor’s husband, other Herders, the men’s rights groups that loathe the Herd—even Eleanor’s closest friends. As Hana struggles to figure out what her friend was hiding and Katie chases the story of her life, the sisters must face the secrets they’re keeping from each other—and confront just how dangerous it can be when women’s perfect veneers start to crack.