Psychological Suspense

            This is the type of novel that keeps you up at night until you’ve finished reading it. Strange events, intrigue, danger, murder, and more – these books have them all.

            The Girl in the Red Coat is written by Kate Hamer. Beth, a single mother and her daughter Carmel are visiting a local outdoor festival when Carmel suddenly disappears. After an exhaustive search, Beth is told by the authorities that Carmel might be gone for good, but Beth refuses to give up. The novel is told by two narrators: Beth, as she continues her search, and Carmel, who has been abducted by a man claiming to be her grandfather.

            The Secret Life of Souls is written by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee. Delia Cross is a talented 11-year-old actress whose hard work has provided her dysfunctional family members with a life of luxury. A freak fire in a supposedly haunted dollhouse puts Delia at risk but Caity, her Australian cattle dog, comes to her rescue, saving her and giving her emotional support in the days afterward.

            Don’t You Cry is written by Mary Kubica. In it, two stories converge. Quinn, a young woman from Chicago is mystified when her roommate Esther disappears from their apartment, leaving only a letter behind. Then Alex, a 19-year-old coffee shop worker in a small Michigan town befriends an unusual young woman that he calls Pearl. Are they the same woman?

            June: a Novel is written by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Cassie Danvers, mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother June, is shocked to learn that she has inherited the entire estate of legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery who has claimed her as his granddaughter. Jack’s daughters come to claim the fortune as their rightful due. An investigation reveals equal portions of murder, blackmail, and betrayal from the past.

            The Girls: a Novel is written by Emma Cline. Mesmerized by a band of girls in the park she perceives as enjoying a life of free and careless abandon, 1960s teen Evie Boyd becomes obsessed with gaining acceptance into their circle, only to find herself drawn into a cult and seduced by its charismatic leader.

            The Twilight Wife: a Novel is written by A.J. Banner. After a diving accident, Kyra Withrop suffers amnesia about the last two years, but as her memory returns she experiences intense fear as she remembers the truth about her marriage and about the island residents whom she had believed to be her friends.

Gone Girl

     A seemingly perfect love story at the start, the relationship between Nick and Amy Dunne has taken a wrong turn by their fifth wedding anniversary. Author Gillian Flynn presents their stories, in alternating first-person narrative chapters, from their first meeting to Amy’s disappearance on their anniversary day.

    Nick dutifully reports Amy’s disappearance to the police but within a few days he is the chief suspect in the case. He finds himself ostracized by the townspeople, officials, the media and the world; all suspecting him of murder. Nick’s only support comes from his twin sister Go and even she isn’t entirely sure of his innocence.
   
    All is not as it seems as we learn of lies told by both Nick and Amy. Twists and turns abound as the mystery progresses and the ending is unexpected yet unsurprising.
   
    All of Flynn’s characters, major to minor, are well-drawn and the dialog is realistic. Sarcastic barbs are aimed at several subjects, from Amy’s lovey-dovey perfect parents, to the media, and others; giving a humorous touch to this mystery/thriller.

Room

           Written by Canadian author Emma Donoghue, this is a thriller with a twist: it is narrated by Jack, a five-year-old boy. He has lived his entire life with Ma, his mother, in an eleven by eleven foot room in a shed kept locked by Ma’s captor. We see reality through Jack’s eyes through the games he and Ma play together, the chores they perform and the meals they prepare. A fantasy world is viewed on a television set with poor reception. At night, Jack goes to sleep in a cupboard before Old Nick, Ma’s captor, comes to visit.

            We learn that Ma was a college student kidnapped by Old Nick seven years ago. Jack is his child too. Ma has carefully raised Jack, schooling him to read, write, count and add, and providing what physical activities she can in the limited space. But she fears his social and emotional life will be stunted if they continue to be captives. She hatches a plan for them to escape, one that will put Jack at risk. But miraculously he succeeds and he and Ma are both freed.

            The second half of the book describes their adjustment, both physical and psychological, to the outside world. In their former life, there were no boundaries in Jack’s relationship with Ma; he felt as though she was a part of him. In the outside world, he met members of his mother’s family and lived with them while Ma was hospitalized for a psychological breakdown. With his mother’s return to him, Jack expresses his desire to return to Room, to see that it still exists and to say goodbye to it, somewhat in the style of Goodnight Moon, his favorite book. They go there, and then return to their new lives, giving the reader the sense that they will survive and succeed.