The Therapist

After Alice Dawson, the narrator of this twisty if flawed psychological thriller from bestseller Paris (The Dilemma), and her boyfriend, Leo Curtis, move into a house in a London gated community, Alice can’t figure out why the neighbors keep their distance. Then she learns from Thomas Grainger, a private investigator who appears at the door, that the previous occupant, therapist Nina Maxwell, was murdered there more than a year earlier; Nina’s husband, now dead, was falsely accused of the crime, and Thomas is looking into a miscarriage of justice. Alice reels at the news. Why did Leo, who handled the sale and must have heard about the murder from the estate agent, not tell her? That Alice’s deceased sister was named Nina makes her prone to take a strong interest in anyone with that name, and she determines to help Thomas investigate. Alice soon discovers everyone in the community has secrets, including Leo. An intriguing setup and a closed circle of well-drawn suspects compensate only in part for a confusing conclusion and Alice’s unconvincing reason to get involved in the murder case. Paris has done better. Agent: Camilla Wray, Darley Anderson (U.K.). (July)