First published 1991
Linda Orett thought the worst was behind her. Three years have passed since her seven-year-old daughter was murdered. Three years since she endured a trial that left her legally cleared but emotionally shattered. She has built a fragile peace around the verdict of not guilty. Then another child dies. The news hits Linda like a physical blow. The nightmares return with savage force. Sleep becomes impossible. Every shadow holds accusation. Every glance from a stranger carries judgment. The careful distance she has maintained from her grief collapses. As the investigation unfolds, Linda must confront the terrible possibility that her daughter's killer has struck again. She faces a community that never fully believed in her innocence. The police eye her with familiar suspicion. Friends retreat into uncomfortable silence. Linda discovers that surviving tragedy is not the same as healing from it. The loss of her daughter carved out a space inside her that nothing can fill. Now she must find the strength to face not only her own demons but a killer who may have returned to destroy what little peace she has managed to claim.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: grief, unreliable-narrator
292 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday
Content warnings: child-death, murder