cover image Precipice

Precipice

Tom Savage. Little Brown and Company, $19.95 (290pp) ISBN 978-0-316-77160-3

A lovely young stranger--with a wide streak of insanity befitting her tragic, mysterious past--penetrates the rich enclave on sunny St. Thomas in this entertaining thriller debut. Newly re-married island socialite Kay Prescott lives with her beefcake husband Adam and her 12-year-old daughter Lisa at Cliffhanger--their mansion perched on a seaside bluff. Kay's chance encounter with Ivy League Diana Meissen at the beach club gives her the idea that Diana would be the perfect role model for Lisa. Diana fits all too smoothly into the household--and Adam's arms--but not long after her arrival, the peaceful island and its well-heeled inhabitants are jolted by a spree of break-ins and assaults. Reports from a young detective (hired by Diana's wealthy aunt in Long Island to keep track of her) make it clear early on that Diana is a mental case with some sort of destructive plan. With bodies and sexual tensions mounting, Diana's aunt races to unravel her niece's latest deadly game. Likable characters romp through a seemingly simple but eventually complex plot, one that Savage has mined with unexpected twists. Readers' expectations may be blown to bits by the clifftop denouement. (Jan.)