Dark Across the Bay

Ahlborn (If You See Her) crafts a terrifying story of family dysfunction in this taut thriller. Diedre and Silas Allan often rent out their second home on a small Maine island, but this time they stumble on a shocking surprise when they return: the blood-covered bodies of the four members of the Parrish family, their most recent guests. The tale then flashes back to the events leading up to their deaths, introducing Poppy and Ezra Parrish, whose marriage is strained, and their two teenage children, Leo and Lark, who are each dealing with personal traumas. Poppy hopes the time away will enable healing and family bonding before recent high school graduate Leo leaves for Thailand. Knowing their eventual fate heightens rather than lessens suspense as, gradually, the island’s isolation becomes ominous rather than relaxing and the Parrishes come to suspect that their space is being surreptitiously invaded at night. By alternating perspectives between each Parrish family member, Ahlborn brings them to life as characters whose welfare readers can easily become invested in. The result is a darkly captivating tale that will appeal to Riley Sager fans.[em] (July) [/em]