Bloodline

In 1968, pregnant journalist Joan Harken, the narrator of this chilling mystery from Lourey (Unspeakable Things), is persuaded by her fiancé, Deck Schmidt, to move from Minneapolis to Lilydale, Minn., where Deck’s father is the mayor and, as head of the county draft board, can get Deck a deferment to avoid military service in Vietnam. Deck’s father also secures Joan a position on the town’s newspaper, since he’s a friend of the editor. Joan quickly discovers Lilydale is brimming with secrets. After a stranger appears in town claiming to be Paulie Aandeg, who as a boy 24 years earlier never returned home after his first day in kindergarten, Joan covers the story. She makes little headway with the locals she interviews, who seem to be united in preventing her from discovering what really happened to Paulie. Lourey ratchets up the suspense as Joan becomes aware of a sinister conspiracy that poses a threat to her and her unborn child. That Deck may have a hidden agenda adds to the tension. Fans of Rosemary’s Baby will relish this. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Dec.)