Possession

November 2, 2020
In this twisty, atmospheric psychological thriller from Lowe (The Furies), psychiatrist Hannah McLelland has painstakingly rebuilt normal for herself and her 16-year-old daughter in a remote countryside sanctuary in the decade since her husband’s headline-grabbing murder in their London home, on a night she has never been able to remember, and the ensuing sensational trial of his alleged killer. Suddenly, everything threatens to come crashing down. A true-crime podcast goes viral with its reinvestigation of Hannah’s husband’s murder and attempt to win exoneration for the young man convicted of it. This involves fanning suspicion of Hannah herself, in part by exposing such skeletons as her possible culpability in a patient’s suicide. Lowe all too believably depicts how in today’s social media–driven milieu, anonymous commenters can quickly morph crusades for justice into an electronic lynch mob. Readers will keep flipping the pages right up to the gasp-worthy final bombshell. This author continues to impress. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Caskie Mushens.