Close My Eyes

At the outset of British author McKenzie’s uneven first adult novel and U.S. debut, Geniver Loxley receives shocking news: her child, apparently stillborn eight years earlier, may actually be alive—and her devoted husband, Art, may have been responsible for the deception. The information understandably shatters Gen’s world, and assisted by attractive bad-boy Lorcan Byrne, she begins unraveling the mystery. While the plot unfurls nicely, some readers may be impatient with the bland, waffling Gen, who spends much of her time debating which man she ought to trust in helping her uncover the truth. Foregrounding Gen’s inner feelings hampers the development of genuine tension. McKenzie (Missing Me) works diligently to fulfill genre expectations, providing shoals of red herrings and blithely killing off auxiliary characters before they reveal anything more than fragments of useful information. Those who like their thrillers with heaping spoonfuls of romance will be satisfied. Announced first printing of 150,000. Agent: Zoë Pagnamenta, Zoë Pagnamenta Agency. (July)