Never Alone

For all appearances, Sarah Carpenter, the heroine of this gripping psychological thriller from British author Haynes (Behind Closed Doors), is keeping up with the responsibilities of tending the remote North Yorkshire farmhouse and grounds she once shared with husband Jim and their two children. Truth be told, with Jim dead and their kids grown, she and her two Labradors are barely scraping by. So when Aiden Beck, an old family friend and Sarah’s still-single former lover, suddenly turns up after 20 years and offers to rent the cottage on her property, relief—both financial and sexual—is in sight. Before long, though, Sarah discovers there’s more mystery to Aiden than is comforting, and a severe late winter snowstorm isolates the farmhouse. The unconventional combination of viewpoints (Sarah’s third person, Aiden’s second person, plus that of a creepy anonymous observer) may put some readers’ teeth on edge, but it definitely intensifies the plot’s not-inconsiderable chill factor. Haynes remains a crime writer to watch. (June)