Tell Me My Name

In Canadian author Ruddy’s well-paced debut, 40-year-old Ellie Patterson and her husband, Neil, have come to their second home on Euclid Lake in the wilds of Ontario. With their children away at camp, the couple hope to rekindle the spark in their marriage and rediscover their “old adventuresome selves.” Barely two days later, Ellie is abducted from her kitchen by a handsome man in his 50s who looks like an actor. Soon afterward, Neil becomes a prisoner of the same psychopath, who claims Ellie is his soulmate. “I have a little game in mind for the three of us,” their captor tells them. Ellie must tell him his name, or he will mutilate Neil, one digit at a time. Ellie proceeds to reexamine her past, searching for clues to his identity among the jumble of memories—some disturbing, some cherished—from her early childhood to her recent past. Readers will cheer as Ellie faces her fears and takes decisive action to save herself and her family. Ruddy plays effectively with issues of identity, regret, and forgiveness in this suspenseful thriller. Agent: Bill Hanna, Acacia House (Canada). (Oct.)