The Stranger in the Mirror

A trucker finds the protagonist of this soapy psychological thriller from the pseudonymous Constantine (The Wife Stalker) walking a New Jersey highway with no memory or ID. He brings her to Philadelphia and helps her start over as Addison Hope, a name taken from a tombstone. Two years later, Addison is engaged to Gabriel Oliver, whose family owns an art gallery. Gabriel’s mother has reservations about him marrying an amnesiac that are borne out when Julian Hunter visits the gallery and recognizes Addison as Cassandra—his wife, and the mother of his seven-year-old daughter, Valentina. Gabriel is skeptical, but Addison returns to Boston with Julian, hoping to remember who she was and what happened the night she vanished. Constantine (sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine) squanders a clever premise and suspenseful opening with a string of increasingly absurd plot twists. Addison is a resilient heroine for whom readers will root, but her supporting cast lacks depth, and the tale’s villain borders on caricature. Fans will hope for better next time. Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (July)