Urban Legends and Bidding Wars

Margo and Ian, a couple in Washington, D.C., are trapped in a relentless, soul-crushing search for their dream home. After selling their starter house at the height of the pandemic real estate frenzy, they're stuck in a tiny apartment, losing bidding war after bidding war. Each loss chips away at Margo's hope and sanity, as the couple's plans for a family are put on hold—no house, no baby. The market is brutal: houses receive dozens of offers, often all-cash, and prices soar beyond their reach. Margo's hunger for stability and success, rooted in her tumultuous childhood, drives her obsession. The couple's relationship strains under the pressure, as Margo's desperation grows and Ian's risk aversion clashes with her relentless ambition.

Dream House, Dream Life

When Margo's agent Ginny tips her off to an unlisted house in the coveted Grovemont neighborhood, hope surges. The house is everything she's dreamed of: a white brick Colonial with a lush yard, a tire swing, and a kitchen straight from her fantasies. Margo trespasses to peek inside, feeling destiny in every detail. The house's perfection is intoxicating, symbolizing the life she's always wanted. But her intrusion is nearly discovered by Jack, one of the owners, and the fantasy is threatened. The house is set to go on the open market, and Margo knows it will be devoured by the competition. Still, she can't let go of the belief that this house is meant to be hers.

The Art of the In

Desperate for an advantage, Margo begins researching the sellers, Jack and Curt, uncovering their backgrounds and family life. She learns they have an adopted Asian daughter, Penny, and sees a potential connection. Margo's PR skills and journalistic instincts kick in as she plots to befriend Jack, hoping to secure an off-market deal. She stalks Jack to his yoga studio, feigning interest in adoption to build rapport. The line between ambition and manipulation blurs as Margo's tactics grow bolder. Her hunger for the house—and the life it represents—overrides her moral compass, setting the stage for deeper deception.

Yoga, Lies, and Adoption

Margo embeds herself in Jack's world, attending yoga and bonding over adoption stories. She fabricates her own struggles with infertility and adoption, mirroring Jack's experiences to gain his trust. The two families grow closer, with Margo even meeting Penny and Curt. Margo's lies deepen as she leverages every detail to position herself as the perfect buyer. The dinner invitation she secures is both a social victory and a calculated move. But the more she invests in the ruse, the more her marriage frays, and the higher the stakes become. The dream house is now an obsession, and Margo will do anything to win.

Penny, Perfection, and Plans

Margo is enchanted by Penny, seeing in her both a reflection of herself and the child she longs for. The dinner at Jack and Curt's house is a masterclass in performance, as Margo and Ian present themselves as ideal buyers and future parents. The house is even more perfect inside, and Margo's longing intensifies. But the evening unravels when her lies are exposed—Jack connects the dots, realizing Margo's manipulation. The confrontation is brutal, and Margo and Ian are thrown out, their hopes shattered. The dream is slipping away, and Margo's desperation turns to fury.

Marital Fault Lines

The fallout from the failed dinner exposes deep fissures in Margo and Ian's marriage. Accusations fly, and old resentments resurface. Ian is appalled by Margo's tactics, while Margo resents his lack of drive. Their shared dream has become a battleground, and intimacy is replaced by blame and distance. Margo's obsession with the house becomes a proxy for all her unmet needs and disappointments. As the couple drifts further apart, Margo's sense of isolation grows, fueling her willingness to take even greater risks.

Obsession and Opportunity

Unable to let go, Margo's fixation on the house intensifies. She stalks the neighborhood, monitors the sellers, and plots new ways to gain leverage. Her research uncovers a cryptic warning about Curt—an anonymous review and email both declare, "Do not trust Curtis Bradshaw." Sensing an opportunity, Margo embarks on a quest to uncover Curt's secret, hoping to use it as blackmail. Her methods grow more invasive and unethical, as she rationalizes every step as necessary for her future happiness.

Dinner Party Deceptions

Margo's social maneuvering reaches new heights as she manipulates friends, colleagues, and even her own husband to further her agenda. She leverages her PR job, exploits connections, and spins elaborate stories to cover her tracks. The stress of the double life takes its toll, and her lies begin to catch up with her. Meanwhile, the competitive, performative world of D.C. real estate and social climbing is laid bare, exposing the emptiness beneath the pursuit of status. Margo's world is a web of appearances, and the cost of maintaining it grows ever steeper.

The Blackmail Blueprint

Margo's investigation into Curt's past leads her to Georgetown University, where she uncovers the story of Dottie Ross, a brilliant student who vanished after Curt plagiarized her work for his bestselling book. Margo tracks Dottie to rural West Virginia, extracting a confession and the evidence she needs. Armed with proof of Curt's academic fraud and hush money, Margo confronts him, demanding he sell her the house or face ruin. The power dynamic shifts, but the victory is hollow—Margo's methods have crossed every ethical line, and her marriage is in tatters.

The Affair and the Alibi

As Margo's schemes escalate, she discovers Ian's affair with a much younger woman, Alex. The revelation is devastating, but Margo's response is cold and strategic. She uses the affair as leverage, ensuring Ian's compliance in her plans. The couple's relationship becomes transactional, united only by their shared secrets and mutual dependence. Margo's capacity for ruthlessness is matched only by her determination to win, no matter the personal cost.

The Ultimate Offer

With the house about to hit the market and competition fierce, Margo orchestrates a shocking crime. She murders Alex, frames her neighbor Natalie, and plants the body in a suitcase in the dream house's basement during the open house weekend. The resulting scandal drives away all other buyers, leaving Margo and Ian as the only option for the desperate sellers. The plan is audacious, chilling, and meticulously executed—a testament to how far Margo will go to secure her dream.

The Suitcase in the Basement

The discovery of the body in the basement turns the dream house into a media sensation. News crews swarm, neighbors gossip, and the internet explodes with theories. Margo watches with satisfaction as the competition evaporates and the sellers, eager to escape the tainted property, accept her offer. The murder is pinned on Natalie, whose troubled past and proximity make her the perfect scapegoat. Margo's manipulation of evidence and narrative is masterful, and the system is all too willing to accept the convenient story.

The Fallout and the Frame

With the house secured, Margo and Ian move in, their marriage a fragile truce held together by shared complicity and the impending arrival of their baby. The neighborhood welcomes them, eager to move past the scandal. Margo's ambition is finally realized, but at a staggering moral cost. The story's loose ends are tied up: Natalie is posthumously convicted in the court of public opinion, and the real crime is buried beneath layers of privilege and performance. Margo's victory is both triumphant and chilling.

The Price of Winning

As Margo settles into her new life, the consequences of her actions linger. Ian is broken, consumed by guilt and fear. Margo is both satisfied and restless, her hunger momentarily sated but her capacity for self-justification undiminished. The house is perfect, the baby is on the way, and the past is, for now, contained. But the story ends with a sense of unease—a reminder that the cost of winning, in a world built on competition and appearances, is never truly paid in full.

Epilogue: Coral Walls, Clean Slate

Margo, now pregnant and living in the dream house, reflects on the journey and its price. The nursery is painted coral, a symbol of both continuity and change. Fritter, the neighbor's dog she's adopted, is her constant companion. The neighborhood has moved on, the scandal fading into local lore. Margo's ambition has delivered her everything she wanted—on the surface. But the final image is ambiguous: a phone buzzing in a backpack, a husband haunted, and a woman who has remade her world, but not herself.

Characters

Margo Miyake

Margo is the driving force of the novel—a woman shaped by childhood instability and a deep-seated hunger for security, status, and belonging. Her ambition is both her strength and her undoing, propelling her through the cutthroat D.C. real estate market and into ever-darker schemes. Margo's relationship with Ian is fraught, defined by both love and resentment, and her sense of self is inextricably tied to her vision of the perfect home and family. As the story progresses, Margo's moral boundaries erode, and she becomes capable of manipulation, blackmail, and even murder. Her psychological complexity lies in her ability to rationalize her actions, always seeing herself as the underdog fighting for what she deserves. Margo's journey is a study in the corrosive effects of obsession and the American dream's dark side.

Ian Tanner

Ian is Margo's husband, a government lawyer whose cautious nature contrasts sharply with Margo's drive. Raised in a stable, loving family, Ian is both a source of comfort and frustration for Margo. He is slow to embrace the aggressive tactics required to compete in the housing market, and his reluctance to take risks becomes a point of contention. Ian's affair with Alex reveals his own vulnerabilities and dissatisfaction, and his eventual complicity in Margo's schemes is born of exhaustion, fear, and a desperate desire to keep their life together. Ian's psychological arc is one of erosion—his principles and sense of self are gradually worn away by the pressures of ambition, marriage, and survival.

Jack Lombardi

Jack is one of the owners of the dream house, a commercial furniture salesman and devoted father to Penny. He is open, friendly, and eager to help others, especially those interested in adoption. Jack's warmth and vulnerability make him an easy target for Margo's manipulations. His relationship with Curt is loving but tested by the pressures of moving and the secrets Curt keeps. Jack's arc is one of betrayal—he is blindsided by Margo's duplicity and Curt's hidden past, forced to confront the limits of trust and the cost of appearances.

Curtis Bradshaw

Curt is Jack's husband, an economics professor whose career is built on a lie—he plagiarized a student's work for his bestselling book and paid her off to keep quiet. Curt is intelligent, calculating, and deeply invested in maintaining his reputation. His relationship with Jack is strained by the weight of his secret and the threat Margo poses. Curt's psychological complexity lies in his ability to compartmentalize, justifying his actions as necessary for success. When confronted by Margo's blackmail, Curt is forced into a corner, his power and privilege ultimately no match for her ruthlessness.

Penny Lombardi

Penny is Jack and Curt's adopted daughter, a bright, confident, and talented child who becomes the object of Margo's envy and affection. Penny represents both the life Margo wants and the innocence at stake in the adult world's machinations. Her presence humanizes the sellers and complicates Margo's feelings, blurring the line between genuine connection and calculated manipulation. Penny's role is largely symbolic—she is the embodiment of the future, the next generation shaped by the choices and compromises of those who came before.

Ginny Gunther

Ginny is Margo and Ian's real estate agent, a hustler with a network of connections and a relentless drive to close deals. She is both ally and obstacle, providing inside information but ultimately unable to deliver the dream house. Ginny's relationship with Margo is transactional, and when Margo's tactics cross the line, Ginny cuts ties. Ginny represents the impersonal, competitive nature of the market—a world where loyalty is secondary to results.

Natalie

Natalie is Margo's neighbor and occasional friend, a bartender in the throes of a "freedom era" after her divorce. She is reckless, self-absorbed, and emotionally needy, but her greatest value to Margo is as the owner of Fritter, the dog Margo adores. Natalie's troubled past and substance abuse make her the perfect fall girl for Margo's crime. Her psychological vulnerability is exploited, and her tragic end is both a commentary on society's willingness to believe convenient narratives and a testament to Margo's capacity for cold calculation.

Dottie Ross

Dottie is the former Georgetown student whose work Curt plagiarized. She is intelligent, driven, and ultimately broken by betrayal and trauma. Dottie's disappearance and the cryptic warnings she leaves behind become the key to Margo's blackmail plot. Her story is one of lost potential and the devastating impact of exploitation by those in power. Dottie's psychological arc is one of retreat—she flees the world that hurt her, seeking peace in anonymity, but is ultimately drawn back into the web of ambition and deceit.

Alex Stapleton

Alex is Ian's lover, a recent college graduate and environmental activist. She is youthful, idealistic, and ultimately disposable in the narrative. Her affair with Ian is both a symptom of his dissatisfaction and a catalyst for Margo's final, desperate act. Alex's murder is the linchpin of Margo's plan, and her fate is a chilling reminder of the expendability of individuals in the pursuit of personal gain.

Fritter

Fritter is Natalie's dog, beloved by Margo and a symbol of the unconditional love and stability she craves. Fritter's presence provides solace amid chaos, and his eventual adoption by Margo is both a small victory and a poignant detail. Fritter's role is largely symbolic—he is the embodiment of innocence, a creature untouched by the machinations of the human world, and a reminder of what is truly at stake.

Plot Devices

Obsession as Narrative Engine

The novel's structure is driven by Margo's escalating obsession with the dream house, which serves as both a literal and symbolic goal. Each setback intensifies her resolve, pushing her to greater extremes. The narrative is tightly focused on her perspective, immersing the reader in her rationalizations and justifications. Foreshadowing is used to hint at the darkness to come—early trespasses and small lies pave the way for larger deceptions and, ultimately, murder. The story employs social satire, exposing the absurdities and cruelties of the D.C. housing market and the performative nature of modern adulthood. The use of red herrings, shifting alliances, and unreliable narration keeps the reader off-balance, mirroring Margo's own instability. The climax is both shocking and inevitable, the product of a narrative structure that rewards ambition and punishes vulnerability.

Analysis

Best Offer Wins is a razor-sharp dissection of modern aspiration, exposing the lengths to which people will go to secure the trappings of success. Through Margo's journey, the novel interrogates the myth of meritocracy and the corrosive effects of competition, status anxiety, and the relentless pursuit of "enough." The D.C. real estate market becomes a microcosm for a society obsessed with appearances, where winning is everything and morality is negotiable. Margo is both a product and a perpetrator of this world—her hunger is understandable, even sympathetic, but her methods are monstrous. The novel's dark humor and psychological insight invite readers to question their own complicity in systems that reward ruthlessness and punish vulnerability. In the end, Best Offer Wins is a cautionary tale about the price of getting everything you want, and the emptiness that can lie beneath a perfect surface.

Last updated: December 3, 2025