Strangers in the Car

Ewan (The House Hunt) serves up a taut thriller in which a wrong turn and a kind gesture expose a couple to grave danger. Abi and her boyfriend Ben have their weekend in Cornwall interrupted by a crisis at Ben’s law firm. Despite an ominous weather forecast, they hop in their car and drive back to Bristol late at night. After Abi misses a turn and almost hits a man standing in the road, she and Ben come across his stalled vehicle. They learn that his name is Paul and he’s traveling his wife, Samantha, and daughter, Lila. Ben offers the family a ride to Bristol despite Abi’s trepidation; neither of them know that Paul is so deep in gambling debt that everyone around him is in danger. As the group’s drive grows increasingly treacherous, Ewan weaves in flashbacks to Samantha and Paul’s activities earlier in the day, detonating so many bombshells that readers will remain on tenterhooks until the devilish finale. Fans of Peter Swanson will devour this. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson Literary. (Nov.)