In the prologue of this overwrought novel of suspense from British author Lewis (Too Close to Home), nine-year-old Amelia Quentin deliberately pushes her mother, Olivia, from a boat into the sea, where Olivia, who can't swim, drowns. Amelia suffers no consequences, but 16 years later she's released from prison for an unspecified crime that only becomes clear much later in the book, whose first half dwells on the idyllic life of London residents Jules Bright and her husband, Kian Bright. The couple's happiness is completed by the birth of their charismatic child, Daisy, though a shadow looms after Jules's first inauspicious meeting with Amelia and her family in Kesterly-on-Sea, England. The uneasy relationship that develops between the girls when they are teenagers ends with Daisy's disappearance and Amelia's arrest. Amelia's "bad seed" character is simply too unconvincing to make Lewis's story compelling. The ghost of a dead child hovers over the action to no apparent purpose. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Jules and Kian seem to be living a charmed life. They realize their dream of owning a historic pub in the moorlands of England and eventually become the proud parents of a daughter, Daisy. As a teen, Daisy falls for a handsome American, Joe, who is just as infatuated with her. Aided by technology, their relationship thrives despite the distance. Trouble arrives for the family in the form of Amelia, a disturbed young woman who is the daughter of a wealthy local businessman. Daisy can't help but have a soft spot for the lonely Amelia, who lost her mother as a young girl. But when their relationship veers into "single white female" territory-that is, psychopathic stalking-Daisy tries to distance herself from Amelia, who in turn feels that she's been cast aside. Unfortunately, tragedy is not far off, and Kian and Jules struggle to preserve their relationship in the face of devastation. Verdict Lewis's latest (Behind Closed Doors) is recommended as beach reading, because it may be too eerie for some to enjoy after nightfall. For fans of women's fiction with a dark and suspenseful bent such as the works of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.-Karen Core, Detroit P.L. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Daisy Bright was always a golden child, beloved by her parents, Jules and Kian. Amelia, a troubled young woman, takes advantage of Daisy's trusting nature and attempts to insert herself into the Bright family. Jules' intuition tells her that something about Amelia isn't quite right, and she encourages Daisy to stop seeing Amelia. But Daisy's not the type to turn her back on a friend in need and ends up brutally murdered. After a sham of a trial, one of Daisy's other friends is framed for the murder, leaving Amelia with only a token sentence. When Amelia is released from prison five years later, she and Jules begin a game of cat-and-mouse that could destroy both of them. There's not a lot of nuance to Daisy and Amelia Daisy is the ultimate good girl, while Amelia is cold and emotionless but Jules experiences the ups and downs of a mother grieving the violent, untimely death of her only child. Readers who persevere through the muddled first third of the novel, with its nonlinear time line and overabundance of characters, will find themselves rewarded with a thoughtful family drama about the devastating effects of grief.--Donohue, Nanette Copyright 2016 Booklist