The Winter Girl

The bleak landscape of the Hamptons in winter provides the backdrop for this absorbing thriller from Marinovich (Strange Skies). Scott and Elise, a troubled couple who live in Brooklyn, are staying in the house of Elise’s abusive and dying father, Victor, in Shinnecock Hills, Long Island. While Elise tends to Victor in the hospital, Scott becomes obsessed with the purportedly vacant house next door. Hoping to forestall their marriage’s disintegration by sharing his adventures with Elise, he convinces her to join him in breaking into the house, where they discover a large, unexplained bloodstain on a mattress in the master bedroom. When Scott asks Victor whether he knows anything about a possible murder at the neighboring house, Victor mumbles something about the “winter girl.” Scott soon learns that Elise’s family—and Elise herself—harbor some malevolent secrets. The revelations about Elise’s character seem rushed at times, and Scott’s own motivations aren’t always clear. Still, this is an engrossing, disquieting read for a chilly night. [em]Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (Jan.) [/em]