Remember Me This Way

May 25, 2015
London school librarian Lizzie Carter, the heroine of this absorbing tale of obsession from British author Durrant (Under Your Skin), is devastated to learn from Police Constable Morrow that her husband of just a year and a half, artist Zach Hopkins, has died in a car crash in Cornwall. A year later, Lizzie visits the scene of the fatal accident, where on the roadside she discovers flowers accompanied by a card decorated with hand-drawn hearts and signed "Xenia." When Lizzie investigates, she finds evidence that Zach may still be alive, and that much of what he told her about his past appears to have been fabricated. She turns to Morrow for help, but Morrow dismisses Lizzie's suspicions as symptoms of grief. In the manner of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, entries from Zach's computer diary alternate with Lizzie's thoughts about events as they are happening. Durrant steadily builds suspense up to the unexpected and thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Agent: Gráinne Fox, Fletcher & Co..

May 1, 2015

British journalist and novelist Durrant (Under Your Skin) spins a tension-filled tale replete with ominous signs and unexplained coincidences. Widowed librarian Lizzie is trying to come to terms with her husband, Zach's, death by visiting the scene of his fatal car crash. She is surprised to see a bouquet of flowers with a note from "Xenia" tied to a tree at the scene. When she arrives at Zach's artist's retreat in Cornwall that same day, Lizzie finds evidence that leads her to believe that Zach is still alive. She seeks answers from friends, family, and the police, all of whom believe that grief has her slightly unhinged. Narrated in the alternating voices of Lizzie in the present and Zach in the past, the novel keeps readers guessing as Zach is revealed to be a man whose true personality is very different from the face he showed the world. VERDICT The suspense builds with each page as secrets are revealed and the sense of menace grows at each turn. Durrant's fast-paced psychological thriller will satisfy readers who enjoyed Elizabeth Haynes's Into the Darkest Corner.--Terry Lucas, Rogers Memorial Lib., Southampton, NY

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