Die Before I Wake

Breton's high-tension tale follows 30-year-old Julie Larkin as she settles into her marriage to heartthrob doctor Tom. In the harsh light of his Newmarket, Maine, hometown, the whirlwind romance and impromptu Bahamas wedding look a bit silly. Tom's mother, Jeanette, is openly cold to Julie. Then questions come up about the demise of Tom's first wife, Beth. He claims it was an accident. The cops call it a suicide. Beth's sister is certain Tom killed her. Tom's young daughters have serious issues around their mother's death, which one of them witnessed. There's no one Julie can trust in Newmarket, so she tries to solve the mystery herself, endangering her own life. Breton (Point of Departure ) has a light touch that belies the sinister forces at work just beneath the surface of this extremely successful thriller. (Jan.)