Fractured

Julie Prentice, the heroine of this gripping thriller from McKenzie (Spin), has moved with her husband and their twins to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she’s plagued by neighborhood watchdog Cindy Sutton, who publishes the local newsletter. In addition to circulating details of upcoming social functions and other neighborhood news, Cindy’s paper expounds on perceived threats to the community, dictating rules of conduct to prevent them. Many of the threats concern purported misdeeds by Julie, thereby making her the community pariah. Meanwhile, Julie is struggling not to become romantically involved with her neighbor, John Dunbar, also with two children, with whom she has been flirting. The reader eventually discovers that an earlier car accident of some kind has had severe repercussions for the Dunbar family. What exactly occurred and who was responsible is the puzzle on which the novel centers, with important consequences to the various characters. The suspense grows, and just when things seem clear, they veer off in another direction. Agent: Abigail Koons, Park Literary Group. (Oct.)