Starred review from June 4, 2018
British author Candlish makes her U.S. debut with an artfully plotted, affecting page-turner. Fiona Lawson gets the shock of her life when she returns from a brief getaway to the beloved London townhouse where she alternates custody with her estranged husband, Bram, of their two children: another family seems to be moving in. Bram has apparently sold the home out from under her and the kids—and vanished, along with the £2 million payday. Even more devastating betrayals await the doughty Fi. Alternating narratives—one Fi’s, the other Bram’s—raise the tension. In a particularly inspired move, much of Fi’s account comes via her emotionally raw tale on a true crime podcast, The Victim, with tweets from the audience serving as a kind of Greek chorus. Movingly chronicling the decline of a marriage that once looked as solid as the couple’s stately red-brick residence, Candlish manages to stash a couple of trump cards, setting up a truly killer climax. American fans of domestic suspense will want to see more from this talented author. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents/ICM Partners.