In the Deep

This stunning thriller from White (The Dark Bones) opens in February 2021 at the New South Wales, Australia, supreme court, where Ellie Cresswell-Smith is about to stand trial for the murder of her real-estate mogul husband, Martin. Flash back 16 months to the Agnes Basin, New South Wales, where senior constable Lozza Bianchi retrieves Martin’s stabbed, mutilated body from the sea. In another flashback, to early 2019, Ellie and Martin meet in Vancouver, Canada. Wealthy Ellie, who’s recovering from the drowning of her three-year-old daughter and a divorce, is smitten. Ellie marries Martin in Las Vegas, Nev., and they move to New South Wales, where she invests heavily in his resort development there. Meanwhile, she must deal with giant bats, poisonous jellyfish, and spiders, as well as Martin’s physical abuse and probable infidelity. The trial, Lozza’s investigation, and the events leading up to Martin’s murder are told in superbly imagined alternating narratives. Convincing character development and a denouement worthy of Agatha Christie make this a winner. White has outdone herself. Agent: Amy Tannenbaum: Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Oct.)