cover image Now You See Her

Now You See Her

Joy Fielding, Atria, $25.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-4165-8531-2

Fielding (The Wild Zone) delivers another emotional blitz in this story about Marcy Taggart, who, at 50, is newly divorced and mourning her daughter, Devon, who two years ago disappeared in a boating accident and is presumed dead. On what was to be her 25th wedding anniversary, Marcy travels to Ireland for a vacation and spots a girl she believes to be Devon, and her sightseeing quickly turns into a quest. For better or worse, she meets two strangers who offer to help her in her search, but she can't determine whether their kindness is sincere. The stakes are raised when Marcy's hotel room is ransacked, and the carefully drawn plot twists toward a dramatic conclusion. Though some of the coincidences and developments stretch believability, Fielding succeeds in creating a winning heroine; indeed, Marcy's need for emotional release ends up being a more compelling plot driver than the unlikely craziness involving her charismatic new friends and the hunt for her daughter. (Feb.)