In this cleverly plotted but creepy domestic noir from Palmer (Saving Meghan), 30-something Nina Garrity thinks she has found Mr. Right after her unfaithful husband vanished, presumed drowned during a solo fishing trip, more than a year earlier. Nina's 13-year-old daughter, Maggie, has reason, however, not to welcome Nina's now live-in relationship with widower Simon Fitch and resolves to do everything possible to sabotage it. Beyond the "ewwh" factor of Simon's being a teacher at her Seabury, N.H., school, Maggie gets flashes of an explosive, darker self beneath his solicitous façade. But when she tries to share her fears, Nina is quick to brush them aside--until Simon's efforts to exert increasing control over many aspects of Nina's own life plant seeds of doubt. Tension mounts as mother and daughter independently snoop into Simon and his past. Twists proliferate as the plot becomes increasingly implausible and bloody--and also, despite the appealingly spunky Maggie, less pleasurably suspenseful than just plain disturbing. That said, Palmer fans will be satisfied. 100,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Meg Ruly, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)

Nina Garrity is moving on with her life, after suffering betrayal and loss. Her husband, Glen, disappeared under mysterious circumstances on a fishing trip (blood was found in his empty boat), leaving Nina nearly insolvent with children Connor, now in high school, and Maggie, now in middle school. Signs that Glen had been living a lie for years cause further turmoil. Then Nina finds love again with middle-school teacher Simon Fitch, with whom she buys a house and embarks on a new life together. But signs of trouble appear, notably with Maggie, who was closest to her dad and has detected a dark, even murderous look in Simon's eyes. Nina, in love, tries to ignore indications that Simon is trying to keep her away from close friends and discouraging her from returning to her career as a social worker. Just how bad the situation is, and how bad it might become, isn't apparent until mid-book. From the author of Saving Meghan (2019), this is an involving domestic thriller about love gone awry and a woman still not cautious enough about the men in her life.

Nina Garrity's new boyfriend might not be all he seems. More than a year ago, Nina's husband, Glen, disappeared from his fishing boat on a Saturday morning, leaving behind evidence of a torrid affair and a drained bank account but no body. When Simon Fitch, the social studies teacher at her daughter's middle school, comes into the picture, it seems like something is finally going right. When Nina and her kids move in with Simon, however, cracks in their relationship begin to appear. Nina decides to get a job to help support her family, but Simon is very much against it. Nina finds herself second-guessing a lot of her decisions in the face of his kind but firm resistance. Maggie, Nina's daughter, absolutely hates Simon and refuses to play nice. Her son, Connor, is fine with the situation, but Maggie is convinced Simon has something out for their family. As time marches on and both Simon and Maggie reach the ends of their ropes, Nina has to decide whom to believe. In a twisty novel that never lets up, Palmer (Saving Meghan, 2019, etc.) has crafted a narrative that explores domestic violence and family trust in an interesting way. Switching between Nina's and Maggie's points of view lets the reader see different sides to Simon, a character who doesn't quite reveal himself until midway through the novel with a big, unexpected twist. Though it's sometimes frustrating how easily Nina lets Simon off the hook and Maggie's voice doesn't always sound quite right for a middle schooler, the way the novel always answers questions with more questions makes it hard to put down. Clues are cleverly laced throughout, keeping one guessing. A well-crafted, increasingly tense page-turner. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.