Dark Road Home: A Gin Sullivan Thriller

Chicago-based medical examiner Virginia “Gin” Sullivan, the heroine of Carlisle’s outstanding first novel, makes her first visit in years to her rust belt hometown of Trumbull, Pa., after she learns of the discovery of the remains of her rambunctious and independent sister, Lily, who went missing the summer Gin graduated from high school. Lily’s body was found in the woods in a large cooler that belonged to Gin and her then boyfriend, Jake Crosby. Lily’s disappearance had catastrophic effects not only on her sister and parents but also on the others in their tight-knit group, including the twins Tom and Christine, whose widowed father depended on Gin’s mother for assistance, and on Jake. As the hunt for Lily’s killer points first to one suspect then another, Gin realizes how much her life in Chicago was an attempt to escape the pain of her past and how unsatisfying her life has become. An engrossing story line and cast of fully developed characters make this debut psychological thriller hard to put down. [em]Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (July) [/em]