Until You're Mine

Terror lurks just below the surface in this excellent psychological thriller, the U.S. debut of British author Hayes (Someone Else's Son). Claudia Morgan-Brown, a Birmingham, England%E2%80%93based social worker who's happily married and is the doting stepmother of four-year-old twin boys, finally has her lifelong wish: she's pregnant, and it's a girl. With her due date weeks away, Claudia needs a nanny; she doesn't want to give up her job, and her husband's work requires him to be at sea for weeks or even months at a time. Zoe Harper, the applicant Claudia hires, appears to be the perfect nanny, with glowing references and a way with children. But Claudia comes to distrust Zoe, who leaves the house at odd hours and has blood stains on her clothes. Meanwhile, Det. Insp. Lorraine Fisher and her fellow police detective husband are investigating vicious attacks on pregnant women. A sense of menace grows as the point-of-view shifts among Claudia, Zoe, and Lorraine. The twisty plot builds to a surprising and unnerving finale. Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Apr.)