Drowning with Others

Ian and Andi Copeland, the protagonists of this gripping psychological thriller from the pseudonymous Keir (The Swing of Things), have been sweethearts since they met at Glenlake Academy, a prep school north of Chicago. The successful couple, who lead an idyllic life in St. Louis, have three children: Cassidy, a senior at Glenlake, and younger twins, who also expect to go to Glenlake, attendance there having been a family tradition since Ian’s great-great-grandfather gifted the Copeland Academic Center. While Ian and Andi were at Glenlake, Dallas Walker, a recently hired poet-in-residence, disappeared. Twenty-two years later, Dallas’s remains are found in his car submerged in a nearby lake. The current writer-in-residence, a journalist whose course Cassidy is taking, supports the class’s decision to investigate Dallas’s death. The ensuing inquiry begins to reveal problems in Ian and Andi’s marriage, exposing secrets long kept from each other. As their fears grow about what might be brought to light, the suspenseful plot builds to an unexpected ending. Keir remains a writer to watch. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency. (Oct.)