The wrong family

Juno Holland, the protagonist of this gripping psychological thriller from Fisher (The Wives), was once a successful psychologist, until her penchant for getting too involved in her patients' lives led to her losing her practice and her home. Now, at 67, she sleeps on a bench in a Seattle park, where she meets and befriends 12-year-old Sam Crouch. One day, Juno can't resist sneaking into Sam's house, which his parents, Winnie and Nigel, are renovating, while the workers are out. When the workers return, she hides in a closet, where she discovers a trap door that leads to a large crawl space. She makes the crawl space her new home, where, undetected, she can overhear Winnie and Nigel quarreling. Eventually, Juno uncovers a sinister family secret. Reverting to her old ways, she involves herself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse surrounding Winnie, a missing young woman, and the woman's baby. If Juno is right in what she thinks is going on, she will have saved a child and redeemed herself; if she's wrong, it could cost her and others their lives. Vivid prose and well-drawn characters keep the pages turning. Fisher remains a writer to watch. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Dec.)

Fisher started out on her own, then triumphed with The Wives, her first traditionally published novel, a major best seller shouted out by venues from Glamour to USA Today to PopSugar. Here she stays in domestic-suspense mode as a couple rides the rocky waves of marriage. With a 150,000-copy paperback and 10,000-copy first printing.