David Bell's, Since She Went Away, is a tense and well-constructed story about disappearances, crimes and complex emotions. Set in Hawks Mill, KY, the book opens with a search for Celia Walters who disappeared three months ago on her way to meet her childhood friend, Jenna Barton, who arranged the meeting. The two friends had drifted apart over the years partly because Celia married Ian and moved into a higher social circle while Jenna, a single mom, is trying to raise her son, fifteen year old Jared, on a nurse's salary. Jenna shows up at every site where the police are looking for Celia because she not only misses her friend, but because she was late for the meeting during which time Celia might have been abducted. A policewoman, Naomi Poole, has been working on the case from the beginning and keeps Jenna and the reader informed of developments. The story unfolds with Jared falling for a beautiful new student in his high school, Tabitha Burke, who recently moved into town with her strange, menacing father. She and her father disappear mysteriously, another woman is found murdered in a nearby area, and the body of Henry Allen the father of Bobby, a student at the same school, has been found in the abandoned house belonging to Tabitha and her father William Rose. Intricate details concerning all of these mysteries emerge as the story comes to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion. The threads of the plot are wonderfully woven together in this very intriguing novel. I recommend it highly.

T. Jefferson Parker's, Crazy Blood, is a suspenseful and fast-paced novel set in the beautiful ski resort of Monmouth Lakes, California. The area is a dynasty created by Adam Carson whose son, Richard, fathered a child by his mistress, Kathleen, while his own wife, Cynthia, was pregnant with his child. Cynthia shot Richard to death when she discovered him with his lover. For that crime she was sentenced to prison where a son, Sky, was born. In the meantime Kathleen gave birth to her son, Wylie Welborn---- Sky's half-brother. The story focuses on bad blood between the Carson and Welborn families as well as the actions of individual family members. It begins when Wylie returns home after serving in Afghanistan. Before he left, he had won a big ski race and now wants to compete again even though he is five years older. The race is a first step to the Olympics and so he sees it as a way of helping his family keep their coffee shop, Let It Bean, going. On the other hand, Sky, who is obsessed with his hatred of Wylie, and suffers from malignant dark moods, wants to win the race to punish Wylie for imagined hurts and insults. While practicing for the race, Wylie falls in love with a beautiful champion ski-boarder, April. The author presents us with a dramatic conclusion in which the violent history of these families re-emerges with stunning results. All in all, Crazy Blood, is a fascinating book with the backdrop of exciting skiing.

As suggested by the title, this fascinating book deals primarily with lost and recovered memories associated with a vicious sexual attack on fifteen year old Jenny Kramer.The event elicits different reactions from Jenny and her parents, Tom and Charlotte. Unable to handle the crisis, Charlotte insists that Jenny be treated immediately with a new therapy which displaces memories of traumatic experiences like combat and other terrible ordeals, Tom is not convinced that this is the best way to help his daughter get through the aftermath of the attack; however, as usual, Charlotte's wishes prevail.She mistakenly believes that Jenny is recovering although in fact, she is suffering through the emotional effects of the suppressed memories.which leads to her attempted suicide. Dr. Alan Forrester, a psychiatrist, is brought into the case and tries to help Jenny and her family deal more honestly with the situation. He attempts to recover Jenny's memories, thereby affecting a host of characters who have things to hide and some things to reveal. The story is told by Dr. Forrester, who finds himself having a personal stake in her memories. Each character is forced to confront secrets and problems precipitated by Jenny's search for lost memories. The book is written in a crisp, concise style and shows an astute knowledge of human behavior.The author's background as a former attorney and investment banker certainly contributes to these skills. I highly recommend the book.