The Dark Above

Finley’s sequel to 2018’s The Darkest Time of Night, set 15 years later, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, which ended with a successful resolution to Lynn Roseworth’s search for her grandson, William Chance, who disappeared as a child. William, who some believe was the victim of an alien abduction, is now 22 and living incognito in a trailer in Arkansas, until he makes a careless misstep that allows a reporter to track him down. More visitors follow: Lois Jumper, “an agent with the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service,” and Lily, a nine-year-old African-American girl who supposedly popped up out of nowhere in North Dakota. When William is targeted by mysterious men in suits who murder Lois, Lily kills them by somehow giving them fast-acting cancers. William and Lily’s flight for safety and his family’s parallel search for him aren’t particularly exciting, and Lynn, the first book’s most distinctive character, plays a small role. The limp storytelling doesn’t bode well for future series entries. Agent: Paul Stevens, Donald Maass Literary. (July)