The Heights

At the start of this mesmerizing psychological thriller from British author Candlish (The Other Passenger), lighting consultant Ellen Saint is working with a new client on a London warehouse conversion when she spots a person she recognizes on the roof of a nearby building. That man, Kieran Watts, however, has been dead for more than two years—or so Ellen thought, because she, along with her ex-significant other, Vic Gordon, contracted with someone to kill him. The murder-for-hire scheme was revenge against the “monster who destroyed” her life when Vic’s and her 19-year-old son, Lucas, died in a car accident, for which she blames Kieran, the car’s driver. The current sighting resurrects devastating memories and provokes Ellen, who fears for her new family, to try again to kill Kieran. Obsession, deception, betrayal, and injustice follow. Chapters from Vic’s point of view, from both past and present, help build tension. In the end, the narrative threads cross in a heart-stopping confrontation that tests Ellen’s lifelong phobia for high places. This cleverly constructed novel will keep readers enthralled until the last page. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (Mar.)