cover image Little Voices

Little Voices

Vanessa Lillie. Thomas & Mercer, $15.95 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-5420-9226-5

At the start of Lillie’s impressive debut, seven months’ pregnant Devon Burges is rushed to a Providence, R.I., hospital with a ripped placenta, the survival of herself and her baby in doubt. Just before undergoing a C-section, Devon hears on the radio that her friend Belina Cabrala was found murdered in Swan Point Cemetery. Two months later, after leaving the hospital with her baby, Devon turns single-mindedly to finding Belina’s killer, especially after learning that a friend of Devon’s, Alec Mather, is the prime suspect. Jack, Devon’s husband, begs her not to pursue the matter. He’s concerned because while Devon was working as a prosecutor of sex crimes and domestic violence in Washington, D.C., she was nearly disbarred, having become so involved with her cases that she began hearing voices and blacking out. Jack and Devon moved to Providence precisely to escape that pressure. Some incident from Devon’s past may be triggering the stress Devon feels as she delves into the murder. Along the way to the shocking ending, Devon learns that Alec committed illegal acts and associated with disreputable people. This superb psychological thriller is hard to put down. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders and Assoc. (Oct.)