Gone But Not Forgotten

Dorsey (Salt Water Wounds) capitalizes on her nerve-wracking premise in this impressive standalone thriller. Claire Taylor fled her murderous, mentally unstable husband when their daughter, Olivia, was a child. Now almost 30, married, and a law student in Boston, Olivia devotes her days to caring for her mom, who has Alzheimer’s. She’s never known much about her family’s past, and is shocked when, one afternoon, her mother signs a check with a name Olivia’s never seen before. Questioning her mom gets Olivia nowhere, and her desire to learn the truth is complicated when her mother dies suddenly the day after signing the check. Just before that happens, Olivia narrowly avoids being run down by a stranger in a car. Setting out to investigate her past and the circumstances of her mother’s death, Olivia meets resistance from people close to her. Dorsey makes Olivia, whose blooming paranoia could become grating in lesser hands, a sympathetic lead, and her quest is genuinely engrossing. This solid psychological suspense novel should appeal to Lisa Unger fans. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary. (July)