The Secrets She Keeps

Set in London, this emotionally charged domestic thriller from Edgar-finalist Robotham (Life or Death) sets up dueling narratives between part-time supermarket shelf stocker Agatha and her frequent customer, Meg. Both women are in their third trimester of pregnancy—but that’s where the similarities end. Beautiful, elegant Meg has two perfect children and a handsome and successful husband. Agatha’s life has been filled with horror and heartbreak: she’s been raped, been forced to give a child up for adoption, suffered a miscarriage, divorced, and watched her young half-brother die after being hit by a car. Both mothers-to-be are hiding dark secrets, and when Meg’s baby is stolen just hours after being born, the media frenzy that ensues threatens to expose Agatha and Meg’s respective transgressions and destroy their lives. Despite the disturbing subject matter, Robotham’s narrative is intimate and insightful. Brilliantly rendered characters, relentless tension, and numerous plot twists make this a winner. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (July)