A contrived plot and a predictable villain mar Stockenberg's latest tale of romantic intrigue (following Safe Harbor). Sarann Bonniface, whose mother suffered from schizophrenia, wonders if she too is degenerating into madness when she begins experiencing increasingly bizarre instances of forgetfulness. She receives little emotional support from her rich, controlling new husband, Rodger—who is chiefly concerned with maintaining his pristine reputation as the headmaster of one of New England's most prestigious boarding schools—or from her rebellious 12-year-old daughter, Abby. Barely aware of her mother's distress, Abby is solely concerned with uncovering the identity of her birth father, and through diligent Internet probing, she discovers that her father is a defrocked police officer, now a private investigator, named Ben McElwyne. Ben's reappearance and his growing affection for Sarann and his daughter is the primary strength of this story, and Rodger's heavy-handed ploy to alienate Sarann from her daughter for his own devious means merely detracts from this more compelling plot thread. Although Stockenberg is skilled at portraying complex family relationships, this novel's weak characterizations and predictable plot will do little to earn her a wider readership. (June)
