See the Cover for the ‘Psycho’-Inspired Thriller (Exclusive)

What if Marion Crane wasn’t killed by Norman Bates at the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock‘s Psycho? That’s the inspiration behind Leah Rowan’s alternate take on the horror classic, the upcoming thriller Marion. 

Ahead of its release next summer, PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the cover for the anticipated new book, which explores what happens when the leading lady doesn’t die — and instead, fights back. 

“Marion is an ode to all the women characters that had to die, pigeonholed to mere plot points, in countless books and movies through the years. It’s a question that came to me (in the shower, of all places): What if the most famous silver-screen victim of all time never died at all? What if she could hold fate, and a knife, in her hands?” Rowan tells PEOPLE. 

In Hitchcock’s 1960 adaptation of Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, Marion was famously played by Janet Leigh in the opening act of the movie. The character is on the run after stealing money from her employer in order to help pay off her boyfriend’s debts. After she’s forced to stay the night at the Bates Motel, she’s stalked and eventually stabbed to death in the shower by its proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).

In Rowan’s take on the story, Marion turns the knife on Norm, kicking off a crime spree that turns the silver screen victim into a heroine for modern times.

More specifically, according to the publisher, after stealing money from a Manhattan ad agency where she works in an attempt to help her sister escape an abusive relationship, Marion finds herself stranded on her way to Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Paying cash for a room at an old set of cabins on the outskirts of town, Marion encounters a handsome and charming young innkeeper, Norm Billings, who later tries to attack her while she’s taking a shower. 

“When the curtain is pulled back … Norm is there with a knife,” the publisher’s description continues. “He raises his arm to strike, but before he does, Marion knees him in the balls, grabs the knife and stabs the life out of him. Now, she’s covered in blood, and she’s a woman on the run — not just a thief, but a killer, too. Where will she go? How will she save both herself and her sister? And what mysteries will she uncover as she does?”

Set for a June 2026 release, Marion offers a captivating alternate history for the most iconic victim of the silver screen. “I’m so excited for readers to meet this version of Marion and hopefully love her as much as I do,” Rowan tells PEOPLE.

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Marion will hit shelves on June 2, 2026 is now available for preorder wherever books are sold.