Finders Keepers
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller
What's it about
Have you ever found something you desperately want to keep, even if it's not yours? Imagine finding a diary that holds the key to a perfect life—and deciding to steal it. This is your chance to step into the mind of someone who will do anything to get what she wants. Follow along as an ordinary woman's obsession spirals into a dangerous game of deception. You'll uncover the dark secrets, calculated risks, and shocking twists she takes to live someone else's life. Discover just how far a person will go when envy turns into a deadly plan.
Meet the author
Natalie Barelli is an internationally bestselling author of psychological thrillers, with over one million books sold and translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Originally from Italy, she lived in various countries before settling in Australia, where she uses her diverse experiences and love for suspense to craft her addictively clever and twist-filled novels. Her unique perspective on human nature, drawn from a life of travel and observation, allows her to create the unforgettable characters and gripping plots her readers have come to expect.
The Script
You’re in a coffee shop when a woman leaves her laptop behind. It’s a top-of-the-line model, sleek and expensive. A minute passes. Then five. No one comes back for it. You look around; nobody else seems to have noticed. The quiet, thrilling thought enters your mind: you could just take it. You could walk out, and no one would ever know. It’s a fantasy, of course. You’d never actually do it. But what if you did? What if you gave in to that one impulse, that single, life-altering bad decision? The fantasy is harmless, but the reality would unravel everything you think you are. It’s a momentary flicker of a different self, a version of you who lives by a different set of rules. For most of us, that flicker dies out. But what happens when it doesn't? What happens when someone not only takes the laptop but opens it, stepping through a doorway into a stranger's life, a life they decide they want for themselves?
This exact scenario—the dangerous pull of a seemingly victimless crime spiraling into obsession—is the kind of dark fantasy that fuels Natalie Barelli’s writing. A former aid worker and aspiring novelist, Barelli spent years collecting rejection letters for the books she thought she was supposed to write. Frustrated, she decided to write a story just for herself, indulging in a darker, more vengeful fantasy sparked by a real-life divorce. She poured her own feelings of being wronged into a character who takes matters into her own hands, creating a thriller that was raw, immediate, and dangerously relatable. That book became a bestseller, and Barelli discovered a readership hungry for stories that explore the unsettling line between everyday fantasy and psychological obsession. “Finders Keepers” is a direct continuation of that exploration, examining just how easily a good person can justify one bad choice, and then another, until they no longer recognize themselves.
Module 1: The Theft of Self
Imagine losing your old laptop. Annoying, but not the end of the world. Now imagine that laptop contained your teenage diary. The one filled with embarrassing, obsessive fantasies about your high school teacher. You might even feel a sense of relief. A secret you’ve been hauling around for years is finally gone. This is exactly what happens to our protagonist, Rose. She feels liberated. That is, until she walks past a bookstore and sees her diary on display. It has a new title, Diary of an Octopus, and a new author, a polished influencer named Emily Harper.
The core of this story begins with a profound violation. Your most private narrative can be stolen, distorted, and sold as public entertainment. Rose’s intimate, naive diary entries about a schoolgirl crush are twisted into a sensationalized public