Emma in the Night

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker can be described as "intelligent suspense". There is a lot of psychoanalysis of the characters, and it adds to the plot rather than slow it down. I ended up liking even the not-so-likeable protagonists, and I was sorry when I ran out of pages to read.

Blurb:
One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime. 

Look for me

"Look for me" by Lisa Gardner continues the story of detective D.D. Warren and survivor Flora Dane. Read it for the thriller part, or for the excellent commentary on social services and what it means to have a perfect family.

Blurb:
The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me. 

"Blame" - Jeff Abbott

Jeff Abbott is a new author for me, and I wish I could remember how I noticed his books (probably one of Amazon's suggestions), because whoever recommended it, got the match right with "Blame". I love suburban thrillers with small-town mentalities and big issues, and "Blame" did not disappoint.

Blurb:
Sometimes the person you thought you knew best...
Turns out to be someone you never really knew at all.

The crash that killed him
Two years ago, Jane Norton crashed her car on a lonely road, killing her friend David and leaving her with amnesia. At first, everyone was sympathetic. Then they found Jane's note: I wish we were dead together.

A girl to blame
From that day the town turned against her. But even now Jane is filled with questions: Why were they on that road? Why was she with David? Did she really want to die?

The secrets she should forget
Most of all, she must find out who has just written her an anonymous message: I know what really happened. I know what you don't remember...

Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin

By the author of "Black-Eyes Susans", "Playing Dead" is a thriller set in Ponder, Texas. It's a fast-paced read, with characters you really care about, and some philosophical bits to think about afterwards. I can't wait for Julia Heaberlin's new book.

Blurb:
“Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?” 

The letter that turns Tommie McCloud’s world upside down arrives from a stranger only days after her father’s death. The woman who wrote it claims that Tommie is her daughter—and that she was kidnapped as a baby thirty-one years ago.

Tommie wants to believe it’s all a hoax, but suddenly a girl who grew up on a Texas ranch finds herself  linked to a horrific past: the slaughter of a family in Chicago, the murder of an Oklahoma beauty queen, and the kidnapping of a little girl named Adriana. Tommie races along a twisting, nightmarish path while an unseen stalker is determined to keep old secrets locked inside the dementia-battered brain of the woman who Tommie always thought was her real mother. With everything she has ever believed in question, and no one she can trust, Tommie must discover the truth about the girl who vanished—and the very real threats that still remain.