Cross Deep

Londoner Alice Ancaster, the 30-something protagonist of this strong psychological thriller from Passmore (Crumple Zone), feels trapped in her marriage to Patrick, whom she no longer loves. An unsuccessful antique dealer, Patrick has run afoul of the British customs authorities for his shady dealings. At the gym, Alice, a former criminal law solicitor, meets Marcy Craig, a teacher who’s in similar straits. After Marcy shares details of her husband Ian’s violent bullying, Alice remarks that they both would be better off without their spouses. She later intimates to her new acquaintance that she has a permanent solution in mind. Alice develops a detailed plan to get rid of both Patrick and Ian, but her scheme’s complicated when the two become romantically involved. An unplanned act of violence results after Patrick arrives home unexpectedly and catches the two women in bed. What follows is a logical but surprising series of events that will have readers turning pages to see how everything plays out. Passmore’s skill at making all her characters believable augurs well for future books. Patricia Highsmith fans will be enthralled. (Self-published)