You Were Never Here

Mary Catherine Montgomery—a self-deprecating New Yorker with a taste for vintage and indie music—narrates this crafty, well-paced thriller. En route to summer in her father’s hometown of Montgomery Falls, Cat, 17, discovers that her former friend Riley Fraser disappeared three months previously. Five years ago, Cat and neighbor Riley, both 12, spent every day exploring the woods around the small Canadian town, until their friendship ended abruptly. Burdened with an unusual and difficult-to-control psychic ability that makes her uncomfortable touching others, Cat is typically wary of new people, but she soon gets to know good-looking housemate Aidan Porter and his friends, a welcoming group of appealingly eccentric horror movie fans. She also reconnects with brooding Noah, Riley’s older brother, and eventually agrees to use her gift to help him investigate Riley’s disappearance. Peacock (the Hemlock series) frontloads the story line with hints of complicated backstories and unresolved relationships, then doles out details bit by tantalizing bit. The novel’s finale is appropriately fiendish—and also unexpectedly uplifting as Cat comes into her own. Ages 13–up. [em]Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong. (Oct.) [/em]