What We Did

One day, 20 years after violin teacher Anthony Carmichael sexually assaulted Bridget Webster, the heroine of this stunning psychological thriller from Kent (The Day She Disappeared), Carmichael walks into the boutique that Bridget owns in Rose Hill, England. They recognize each other. With Carmichael, who’s now teaching at the local university, where Bridget’s husband, Matt, runs the computer office, is a girl of 14 or 15, the pedophile’s latest “protégé.” Confronted by the man who nearly destroyed her life, Bridget isn’t sure what to do. Leave town? Go to the police? Or just do nothing. Meanwhile, London journalist Gillian Lawson, who has had her eye on Carmichael for years and suspects that Bridget was one of his first victims, travels to Rose Hill to interview her and seek out Carmichael. Bridget’s increasingly paranoid behavior worries Matt, who’s acquainted with Carmichael but unaware of his link to Bridget. The stakes rise when Carmichael goes missing. Incisive character studies, seamless plotting, and a breathtaking final reveal make this a standout. Agent: Victoria Hobbs, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Feb.)