Powers's third thriller (after Sunflower
and Bleeding Heart
), a gripping mix of a smalltown police procedural with a snazzy woman-in-jeopardy plot, will remind many of early Mary Higgins Clark and Sandra Browne. Working mother Kate Warner's peaceful life in suburban Pickard, Ill., is shattered when her eight-year-old daughter, Jenny, gets off the school bus one afternoon and disappears just steps away from home. To make matters worse, Kate's husband and Jenny's devoted dad, Richard, becomes the prime suspect. Other suspects include Richard's sophisticated business associate, a local physician and the spooky anonymous caller who keeps taunting the Warners. Despite some predictable twists, this tight suspense novel with its credible characters will keep readers turning the pages. Author tour. (Oct.)
