“I left readers hanging in 2016,” Kepnes says. “I left this character locked up and anticipating so much. I’ve been dying to do this for the readers for a long time. I wanted a break in between, and I wanted people to sit with where he was. We find him in this new life, walking into a library, and there is a woman librarian. That was what was really exciting for this book, to see him tangle with someone who is a responsible, grounded adult.”