One More Day

March 7, 2016
A grieving mother confronts her past in Simmons's strange, wrenching ghost story. It's been over a year since Carrie Morgan's two-year-old son, Ben, disappeared, and she and her husband, John, are no closer to healing. When Ben suddenly reappears in his crib, they're overjoyed, but puzzled that he hasn't appeared to have grown an inch or gained an ounce while he's been gone. Then, just as quickly, he's gone again. Over the course of the week that follows, Carrie is visited by more figures from her past, some more welcome, and friendlier, than others: a beloved grandmother, an ex-boyfriend, a detective who worked on Ben's case. Each one forces her to confront an aspect of her past, enables a small amount of closure, and nudges her ever closer to answers about Ben's disappearance, even as everyone around her believes she's finally lost her mind. The rules of this universe are a little uneven, and odd interludes from a different narrative voice only muddy the waters, but Simmons hits the right emotional notes when describing Carrie's grief and disorientation. Clever readers might piece together the approaching ending, but the potential predictability of the resolution doesn't necessarily lessen its impact. Agent: Anne Bohner, Pen and Ink Literary.

November 1, 2015

Devastated when her toddler son, Ben, is taken from her parked car, Carrie Morgan prays and hopes for his return, often pleading for just "one more day" with Ben. Fifteen months later it seems Carrie's wish has been answered when Ben is miraculously returned to his crib; however, Ben is the same height and weight that he was when taken, and he remains for only one day before he disappears again. At this point, Carrie is "visited" by a variety of individuals she once knew, each of whom remains with Carrie for a very short period. She realizes each one is a ghost. The investigation of the kidnapping goes on, as Carrie insists she has nothing to do with Ben's disappearance. VERDICT Simmons's (The Bird House) third novel is vaguely reminiscent of early Mary Higgins Clark works, but the author's muddled medley of topics in this dark thriller, including marriage, religion, ghosts, crime, and child rearing, do not mix well here.--Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA

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