A Stranger in the Family

Kit Philipson (born Peter Novello), the reserved hero of this intriguing suspense novel from Diamond Dagger Award–winner Barnard (Last Post ), grew up with all too perfect adoptive parents in Glasgow, Scotland. Now that the couple who raised him are dead, Kit seeks answers about his past from his biological parents, and learns that his adoption stemmed from his kidnapping at age three during a Novello family holiday in Trepalu, Sicily, in 1989. His birth mother discourages him from digging into why he was abducted, while his dying birth father won't even acknowledge Kit as his own. Determined to suss out the truth, Kit discovers that his adoptive father and his birth father once had a mysterious confrontation at a conference. Kit must go back to a grandfather's dealings during WWII to move forward, but can there be a sweet family ending after all the coldness and deception? Readers will keep turning the pages to find out. (June)