Close My Eyes

May 27, 2013
At the outset of British author McKenzie’s uneven first adult novel and U.S. debut, Geniver Loxley receives shocking news: her child, apparently stillborn eight years earlier, may actually be alive—and her devoted husband, Art, may have been responsible for the deception. The information understandably shatters Gen’s world, and assisted by attractive bad-boy Lorcan Byrne, she begins unraveling the mystery. While the plot unfurls nicely, some readers may be impatient with the bland, waffling Gen, who spends much of her time debating which man she ought to trust in helping her uncover the truth. Foregrounding Gen’s inner feelings hampers the development of genuine tension. McKenzie (Missing Me) works diligently to fulfill genre expectations, providing shoals of red herrings and blithely killing off auxiliary characters before they reveal anything more than fragments of useful information. Those who like their thrillers with heaping spoonfuls of romance will be satisfied. Announced first printing of 150,000. Agent: Zoë Pagnamenta, Zoë Pagnamenta Agency.

May 15, 2013
British children's author McKenzie's first adult novel is a psychological thriller centered around a woman whose life has been on hold ever since her baby died eight year earlier. Gen and her husband, Art, are still deeply in love, but they are struggling after years of trying to deal with the stillbirth of their only child, Beth. The baby was delivered early after an obstetrician detected that there was no heartbeat. After the child's stillbirth, it was determined she was deformed and would not have survived anyway, a revelation that threw Gen into emotional turmoil. Although she and Art have been trying to conceive again, they've been unsuccessful and have resorted to fertility treatments. None have taken. Gen is almost ready to give up on having a child when a woman comes to her door and tells her some unsettling news: Not only was Gen's baby born alive, but others knew about it, including someone close to Gen. Although Gen doesn't believe the woman, she starts to investigate on her own, setting off a chain of events that lead her deeper and deeper into a dark place. Along the way, she acquires an unlikely ally, a man who once worked with her husband but who is now one of his deadliest foes. She is left to wonder who is playing her for a fool--one of the people she loves or her new friend. McKenzie is a skillful writer and understands how to build interest and tension with well-drawn characters and fascinating back story. But readers might want to keep a notepad handy to keep track of the people she introduces--some necessary, others simply there to fill out the plot. After a while, readers may have trouble keeping track of who's who. McKenzie's maiden thriller is a hit, even if it becomes a bit crowded in the process.

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May 1, 2013
Geniver Loxley has never recovered from the stillborn birth of her daughter eight years prior. Her husband, Art, is anxious to have another child and to move on with their lives, but Geniver is still grieving. Then a woman shows up claiming that Gen's baby had been born alive and was taken away by the doctor and given to someone else, and that her husband was in on the scheme. Reeling from the shocking news and unsure of whether she can trust her husband, she turns to free-spirited Lorcan, an old colleague of Art's who is now a successful actor and is extremely empathetic. As the two investigate, they discover some shocking secrets that put their lives in jeopardy. Although this novel is being touted as a read-alike for Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl (2012), it lacks the complexity and depth of that title; instead, it more closely resembles Elizabeth Haynes' slam-bang suspenser Into the Darkest Corner (2012). Nothing, though, will prepare readers for McKenzie's chilling epilogue, a dark and twisted scenario that is the definite high point of her novel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A best-selling, award-winning children's and YA author in the UK, McKenzie makes her U.S. debut with a thriller for adults that has a 150,000-copy first printing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)