Six years after Brie Mason mysteriously disappeared, a woman who seems to be her shows up at the since-rebuilt house in which she'd lived with her husband, Andrew, setting off a chain reaction of shock, accusations, lies, and murder. Andrew, a contractor with a failing business and a drinking problem triggered by Brie's disappearance, lives elsewhere in the town of Milford, Connecticut, with his pregnant girlfriend, Jayne, and her troubled 16-year-old brother, Tyler. Seemingly everyone in Milford who remembers the sensational story has long suspected Andrew of killing Brie, including obsessed Detective Marissa Hardy and Brie's sister, Isabel. But Andrew has miraculously prevented Jayne from learning anything about his personal history, making a point of rarely dining out with her or otherwise being seen with her in public. He's soon got some 'splainin' to do. Andrew's alibi is that he was on a fishing trip with his friend and business partner, Greg, the night Brie vanished. Hardy believes he drove back to Milford during the wee hours, killed and buried Brie, and returned to the fishing spot before dawn. After showing up at the site of her old house, the would-be Brie makes a couple more well-planned appearances, including a midnight visit to her dying mother in the hospital, but no one gets a clear enough look at her to be sure if she is who she says she is. For a book that relies on so many twists and turns, with a central premise that could easily fall apart, Barclay's latest does an impressive job of sustaining suspense and making its characters believable. The reader is kept guessing until close to the end, by which time a forced detail or two doesn't really matter. An infectious thriller--one of Barclay's best. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Six years ago, Andrew Mason's wife, Brie, disappeared. Still considered the police's prime suspect (although there's no evidence he was involved), Andrew now lives under a new name, with a new family. Then a shocking thing happens: Brie--or at least a woman who vaguely resembles Brie--turns up where she and Andrew used to live. Could this really be Andrew's wife, come back after a six-year absence? Or is somebody trying to convince Andrew--or perhaps the police--that Brie is still very much alive? Then, confounding matters further, the would-be Brie disappears again. This new novel from the always-dependable Barclay (Elevator Pitch, 2019, A Noise Downstairs, 2018) is an especially good read. The author keeps us guessing right up until the end, wondering which of the novel's characters might have an interest in convincing people Brie is still alive and just who has it in for Andrew and why. Motives are hinted at and secrets gradually revealed, leading to an ending that will knock your socks off.

The disappearance of Andy Mason's wife, Brie, from their home in Milford, Conn., drives this well-paced standalone from Thriller Award finalist Barclay (Find You First). Andy was on a fishing trip with a friend at the time, but Milford police detective Marissa Hardy decides that Andy was involved, yet try as she might, she can find no hard evidence. Meanwhile, Andy becomes "a public spectacle, fodder for true crime shows and social media speculation." Needing a fresh start, he changes his last name and moves to the nearby town of Stratford. Now, six years after Brie went missing, Andy is living happily with his girlfriend. Then, a woman shows up at Andy's former address in Milford. She seems frightened and leaves before the police can be summoned. Surveillance footage shows she looks like Brie. Barclay shifts among multiple viewpoints to keep the tension high, including the original witness statements taken by Hardy. Everyone is a plausible suspect, and the disparate plot pieces eventually fit together with the precision of a Chinese puzzle box. Barclay reliably entertains. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada). (May)