What can't be seen

Psychologist and Boston PD consultant Gretchen White, the protagonist of this riveting series launch from Labuskes (A Familiar Sight), is haunted by a childhood trauma. When she was eight, Gretchen was found with a bloody knife standing over the stabbed body of her aunt, Rowan White. Edith White, Gretchen's influential grandmother, persuaded the prosecutor that Gretchen, who had no memory of the event, should not be tried because she may well have just stumbled onto the scene. The policeman involved in the case, Det. Patrick Shaughnessy, believes Gretchen is a murderous sociopath. He stays close to her, often parking across from Gretchen's apartment for hours waiting for her to slip up and furnish the evidence needed to ensure she receives the punishment she deserves. Meanwhile, Det. Lauren Marconi wants to help Gretchen prove her innocence. This frightens Gretchen, who fears that any further investigation will only serve to establish her guilt. As the two women work the case, they uncover many surprising secrets. The book's well-constructed plot matches its three-dimensional characters. Psychological thriller fans will be eager for more. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Group. (May)

Reassuringly nonviolent sociopath Dr. Gretchen White returns for a second round of encounters with someone who's evidently less inhibited than her. Gretchen's had her history with Boston detectives Patrick Shaughnessy and Lauren Marconi of Major Crimes. Although they still suspect she may have murdered her aunt, Rowan White, newly emerging evidence has deepened the mystery. Ten years before her murder, Rowan had been found running from the woods, her arms covered with cuts, and two weeks after that, her schoolmate Jenny Cross disappeared, her corpse, discovered months later in the woods, had similarly slashed arms. Jenny's father is still unable to recover from his grief; her sister, Tabitha, is determined to take a more proactive role. A cryptic note from Rowan to Shaughnessy--"There are more girls. Find them"--suggests that Jenny's death, and perhaps Rowan's as well, could be linked to as many as 10 cases of young women gone missing between 1987 and 1993, half of them found murdered with their arms cut, half still unaccounted for. Although Gretchen, a psychologist who consults with the Boston PD, readily admits that she's a sociopath, the rest of the cast gives her serious competition, from Gretchen's unloving parents, psychoanalyst Anders White and his Botox-frozen wife, Bardot, to Cal Hart, Tabitha's abusive lover. Unfortunately, Labuskes darts so frequently among multiple time frames featuring similar crimes and similar (often identical) suspects that readers who aren't taking conscientious notes as the bodies pile up may find themselves less disturbed than confused. Those who persist, however, will find a first-class surprise in the closing scene. Whatever your reaction, you're guaranteed to turn the last page with relief. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.