Raven Lane

Esme and Benedict Werner, the couple at the center of this unsettling psychological thriller from Cowie (Rapid Falls), have lived for years on Raven Lane, a cul-de-sac with five detached homes in Fraser City somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Benedict is a partner in a modeling agency, and Esme owns a successful restaurant in town. They and their neighbors mingle at weekly dinners and at annual parties they feel social pressure to attend. All is well until Benedict backs his car over a neighbor, bestselling author Torn Grace, who’s riding his bicycle without a helmet. Though witnesses declare Benedict without fault, Benedict is arrested. When Torn dies, Benedict is put on trial for second-degree murder. Thereafter, the secrets and lies of Raven Lane’s residents slowly emerge, and neighbor is pitted against neighbor. Esme and Benedict each have pasts they hoped to hide, some aspects of which they’ve hidden even from each other. Smooth prose and relatable characters keep the pages turning. Cowie delivers surprises all the way to the end. Agent: Gordon Warnock, Fuse Literary. (Nov.)