I Invited Her In

In 1999, when Melanie Harrison, the heroine of this underwhelming psychological thriller from British author Parks (Playing Away), dropped out of university after becoming pregnant after a one-night stand, she lost touch with her best friend, Abigail Curtiz. Seventeen years later, Mel is living comfortably in Wolvney, England, with her doting husband, Ben, and their three kids. Out of nowhere, she receives an email from Abi, who explains that she’s getting a divorce from her cheating husband and moving back to the U.K. from America. Mel invites Abi to stay in her home indefinitely, and Abi eagerly accepts. After spending years in suburbia, Mel can’t help becoming infatuated with the glamorous Abi, who interviews celebrities for a living and loves sharing the details of her sex life. Soon, however, Mel gets the impression that Abi wants more than just a place to stay and time to reconnect. Parks generates some tension by switching among the perspectives of Mel, Abi, and Ben, but stock characters and predictable plot developments make this a lesser effort. Agent: Jonny Geller, Curtis Brown. (Feb.)