Nowhere Girl

Strecker (Night Blindness) ventures into psychological thriller territory in her disappointing second novel. Cady Bernard, 33 and unhappily married, has managed to channel her crushing pain over the death of her identical twin, Savannah, at 16 into a string of bestselling mysteries. Meanwhile, she remains stuck in the past, as suggested by her choice to live less than seven miles from the site of the tragedy. She hopes that researching her new project at nearby South Jersey Penitentiary will somehow enable her to help solve the case—which, coincidentally, is being officially reopened. At the prison, she crosses paths with her main high school crush, Brady Irons, who happens to be a corrections officer there. Back in the day, Brady seemed barely aware of Cady’s existence, but she now senses an undeniable mutual attraction, despite the extra pounds about which she’s incessantly self-conscious. Though the novel does have it moments, readers should be prepared for inconsistent characters, overreliance on psychic clues, and an ending telegraphed way too early. [em]Author tour. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore and Company. (Mar.) [/em]