cover image A Mind of Winter

A Mind of Winter

Shira Nayman. Akashic, $15.95 trade paper (332p) ISBN 978-1-61775-103-5

Three people whose lives touched during WWII take turns narrating this haunting psychological thriller from Nayman (The Listener): Oscar, an enigmatic art collector, whose past is the book’s central mystery; Christine, Oscar’s great love, who left him after the war and fled to Shanghai, where she became enmeshed in the shadow world of drugs and prostitution; and Marilyn, a photographer with dark memories who struggles to finish a collection of wartime photos. The three have developed their own histories, differing versions of what should be the same story. When they meet again in the U.S. in 1951, they must reconsider their stories and come to terms with a hidden truth that could have changed the course of their lives. Facing this truth can be a painful process, and the suspense grows to an almost unbearable level by the time it’s revealed. Nayman’s training as a clinical psychologist serves her well. Agent: Erin L. Cox, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (May)