Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

Revenge is a dish best served frozen.

Mary Maloney seems like your typical 1950's housewife. You know, the June Cleaver type that is sweet, doting and utterly devoted to her husband. Every evening she waits patiently for him to come home from work, ready to serve him dinner and hang on his every word. It's all very domestic and proper until he delivers some unexpected news that flips Mary's world upside down. Let’s just say, her response isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a soft-spoken homemaker.

Lamb to the Slaughter is classic Roald Dahl: wickedly clever, darkly humorous and deliciously twisted. Going into plot details would ruin the fun of discovering this story on your own. Dahl does a great job here of subverting gender expectations. Mary might look like the picture of domestic femininity, but she’s far more resourceful than anyone might give her credit for. It’s a playful, unsettling reminder that appearances can be deceiving, and sometimes the people you least expect are capable of the most shocking acts—served up, in this case, with a side of irony and a perfectly cooked leg of lamb.