The Hidden Hours

In this perceptive coming-of-age tale from Foster (Beneath the Shadows), 21-year-old Eleanor Brennan is three weeks into her job as a temporary personal assistant at Parker & Lane, London’s premier children’s book publisher, when Arabella Lane’s body is found in the Thames. During the firm’s holiday party the night before, she and Arabella shared drinks and a long talk before Arabella slapped her hot-tempered husband, Nathan, who’s also Eleanor’s boss, then stormed out of the party. Eleanor, who can’t remember what happened after the party, becomes mired in the subsequent investigation, and the death brings back Eleanor’s memories of a violent incident that destroyed her family when she was a child in Australia. The sophisticated plot spins on corporate gossip, family betrayal, and the effect on children of being forced to keep their parents’ secrets. The naive Eleanor develops into an insightful young woman who comes to understand how multifaceted people can be. Fans of character-driven mysteries will be rewarded. Agent: Tara Wynne, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (Nov.)