In the Blood

March 31, 2014
This novel, full of dark psychological suspense, is set in a small college town not far from New York City; it follows Lana Granger, a psychology major nearing graduation. Lana harbors secrets from her youth, including family violence and murder. At the suggestion of faculty advisor Langdon Hewes, she becomes the nanny of Luke, a troubled 11-year-old who uses very adult methods of terrorizing his mother, Rachel. Soon he’s tormenting Lana with seemingly uncanny knowledge of her past. The narrative is interspersed with excerpts from the diary of an unidentified mother about her life with an extremely disturbed child, which is read by Mol in a soft voice that varies from guardedly optimistic to despondent. Handling the more extensive role of Lana, Thaxon is tart, almost flippant when the extremely bright student is viewing her life objectively, then switches to a less confident, almost miserable approach when expressing self-doubt and regret over past mistakes. Her equally astute interpretations of Unger’s other characters include a coolly impersonal Hewes, a vague and distracted Rachel, and Luke, who speaks with an intelligence beyond his years, is arrogant and impatient. A S&S/Touchstone hardcover.

Starred review from October 28, 2013
Bestseller Unger returns to the Hollows, the secluded upstate New York town that served as the setting for Fragile and Darkness, My Old Friend, for this gripping novel of psychological suspense. Ace student Lana Granger, with a new name and appearance, sequesters herself at small Sacred Heart College, where no one knows that her father is on death row for killing her mother. At the urging of a compassionate psychology professor, Lana takes a job with Rachel Kahn babysitting her volatile 11-year-old son, Luke. Mother and son have recently moved to the Hollows, where Luke is enrolled at a school for troubled kids. While Lana is drawn into a bizarre game manipulated by Luke, who has discovered her secrets and threatens to expose her, her best friend, Beck Miller, disappears after the two of them argue. A mystery woman’s revealing diary augments the tense, surprise-laden plot. Agent: Elaine Markson, Markson Thoma Literary Agency.