Nowhere Girl

January 18, 2016
Strecker (Night Blindness) ventures into psychological thriller territory in her disappointing second novel. Cady Bernard, 33 and unhappily married, has managed to channel her crushing pain over the death of her identical twin, Savannah, at 16 into a string of bestselling mysteries. Meanwhile, she remains stuck in the past, as suggested by her choice to live less than seven miles from the site of the tragedy. She hopes that researching her new project at nearby South Jersey Penitentiary will somehow enable her to help solve the case—which, coincidentally, is being officially reopened. At the prison, she crosses paths with her main high school crush, Brady Irons, who happens to be a corrections officer there. Back in the day, Brady seemed barely aware of Cady’s existence, but she now senses an undeniable mutual attraction, despite the extra pounds about which she’s incessantly self-conscious. Though the novel does have it moments, readers should be prepared for inconsistent characters, overreliance on psychic clues, and an ending telegraphed way too early. Author tour. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore and Company.

January 1, 2016
Sixteen years after her twin sister, Savannah, was found dead in a derelict house on the edge of town, a bestselling thriller writer begins to uncover what really happened. In Strecker's (Night Blindness, 2014) latest, Cady Martino is at a crossroads: her marriage is on the rocks, endangered by lack of communication and problems with infertility, and the sudden rekindling of a high school crush has Cady questioning what she's willing to risk to find happiness. She has a core group of friends, including her best friend since forever, Gabby, and her brother, David, but her husband's fascination with her wealth and her own weight issues continue to prey on her self-esteem. Most of all, however, she has never come to terms with her grief for Savannah. When she gains access to interview a convicted serial killer as research for her current book and, at the same time, the local police decide to reopen her sister's case, Cady begins to discover things about Savannah's life and death that lead her closer to the truth. The plot may seem somewhat familiar to suspense readers and the romance angle a bit contrived and exaggerated, but the novel offers a very appealing protagonist in Cady. She's plucky without being annoying, self-aware without being maudlin, and fiercely loyal without being blind. Her group of friends has an enviable bond, and the mystery focuses on personalities and relationships as much as it aims to reveal "whodunit." In the end, this is a novel about great loss and refusal to surrender to the pain of this loss, showing instead how one can learn to live with it and, ultimately, find forgiveness and love as a survivor. Compulsively readable.

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