Girl Unknown

Authors Karen Gillece and Paul Perry again combine to form Perry (The Innocent) in this unbalanced psychological thriller. College professor David Connolly’s life is forever changed when first-year student Zoe Harte steps into his office and claims that he is her father. David is already stressed about his ailing mother, marital problems, and trying to advance at his job, and Zoe’s revelation sends him into a tailspin. But David’s wife Caroline believes Zoe has ulterior motives and sets out to prove that she isn’t his child. Can Caroline convince David that Zoe is not all she appears to be in time to save her family, or will she find that Zoe is telling the truth? While this dark tale is full of twists, the promise of the setup never reaches its full potential. Despite the fact that the flow of alternating sections between David and Caroline runs smoothly, David and Caroline’s children—although they are impacted greatly by Zoe’s claims—end up overlooked in the grand scheme of the story. Certain plot points also stretch plausibility, particularly in the buildup to the finale. Perry’s unwieldy thriller raises more questions than it answers about the underdeveloped Connolly family. [em](Feb.) [/em]