Such Dark Things

January 15, 2018
Corinne Cabot, the 35-year-old heroine of this uneven suspense novel from Tate (the nom de plume of romance author Courtney Cole), is an ER physician at a Chicago hospital. Her grueling job and troubled past have strained her marriage to therapist Jude Cabot. As an 18-year-old babysitter on Halloween, Corinne witnessed a double murder, for which her father was convicted, but she has blocked the memory. While she struggles through another October, immersing herself in work to avoid seasonal triggers, Jude becomes intrigued with Zoe, a provocative server at his favorite café, who fascinates and torments him—and ultimately threatens everything he holds dear, including his wife’s precarious sanity. Written in breathless style, this page-turner relies on quick thrills, surprise twists, and an implausible reveal. Readers seeking a fast, entertaining tale might be satisfied, but others will be troubled by clichéd depictions of mental illness and sexual abuse, as well as the lack of character development. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.