Blame

May 1, 2017
In this engrossing standalone from Thriller Award–winner Abbott (The First Order), a car crash in Austin, Tex., steals 17-year-old Jane Norton’s memory and kills her best friend’s boyfriend, David Hall. Investigators find Jane’s suicide note at the scene, turning sympathy for the survivor into blame. Jane can’t imagine intentionally wrecking her vehicle, let alone doing so with David as a passenger, but since she can’t remember the last three years, she’s unable to offer an alternative explanation. Two years later, when “Liv Danger” posts a message online claiming to know what really happened that night and pledging vengeance, the guilt-ridden Jane assumes it’s a cruel joke—until someone starts targeting those connected with the crash. The closer Jane comes to unlocking her memories and unmasking Liv Danger, the more certain she becomes that everyone in her life is conspiring to rewrite history and hide the truth. One soapy and superfluous subplot aside, this is an emotionally complex tale replete with finely drawn characters, shocking twists, and convincing red herrings. Agent: Peter Ginsberg, Curtis Brown.

May 15, 2017
Two years ago, teenager Jane Norton caused a car accident that killed her passenger, David Hall. At least that's what she's been told: she woke up after the accident with amnesia and is still discovering new memories, but she continues to remember nothing of the accident. She knows that David's mother despises her, and that her former best friend, Kamala (David's girlfriend), seems determined to ruin her life. But is she determined enough to be the person who, posing as the fictitious Liv Danger, has posted a message on Jane's social-media page claiming to know what really happened that night two years ago? As Jane desperately tries to find out who Liv is and what led up to the accident, the questions keep stacking up, each one adding a layer of mystery to Jane's life. A solid stand-alone from the author of the Sam Capra series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2016

Another Sam Capra thriller from this three-time Edgar nominee? Actually not. Abbott has decided to write a stand-alone psychological suspense novel, for which there are no plot details but at least a setting: Austin, TX. With a 25,000-copy first printing and a five-city tour.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.