Watching from the Dark

In the prologue of British author Lodge’s gripping if flawed follow-up to She Lies in Wait, a panicky unidentified man makes an emergency call because he’s worried that his art student girlfriend, Zoe Swardadine, has been attacked just out of range of the webcam on which he was waiting to Skype with her. At Zoe’s flat, the Southampton, England, police find her dead in the bathtub, an apparent suicide, but a few forensic clues suggest otherwise. When Det. Chief Insp. Jonah Sheens and his team delve into Zoe’s life, they discover that, though the vivacious young woman appears to have been widely loved, almost everyone in her circle—including her boyfriend—harbors secrets they’re dead set on protecting. If anything, Lodge creates almost too many suspects, on whom she casts suspicion in turn. As a result, the big reveal feels about as arbitrary as Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick. Until then, fans of psychological thrillers will be more than content. [em]Agent: Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown. (Feb.) [/em]