Out of the Ashes

This elegant suspense yarn from YA author Thomas (That Weekend) dodges expectations at every turn. Twenty-two years before the novel begins, when Samantha Newsom—now a prickly nurse at an ICU in Queens—was 13, her family home in Carney, N.Y., burned down while she was at a friend’s house. The bodies of her father, mother, and baby sister were never recovered from the ruins, and though their deaths were assumed murders, no arrests were ever made. As an adult, Samantha returns to Carney to clear out the home of her recently deceased uncle and is approached by a special investigator for the New York State Police. A potential witness in her family’s case has come forward, claiming he saw a man leave the scene of the fire with an infant in his arms. Is he telling the truth? Could her sister be alive? The investigation reopens—as do Samantha’s wounds—and Samantha embarks on her own inquiry into what happened that night. Samantha is a fascinating, difficult character, and the enthralling plot delivers a steady stream of surprises. Thomas’s first foray into adult fiction is a thrilling success. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Apr.)