Someone in the Attic

In Mara’s spine-tingling latest (after No One Saw a Thing), a woman finds evidence of a stalker inside her Dublin house. After selling her San Diego consultancy, Julia Birch has returned to Ireland with her ex-husband, Gabe, and their two children. The family’s luxurious new home in a gated community seems ideal until Julia’s 13-year-old daughter, Isla, stumbles on a TikTok video of a black-clad man climbing down from the attic of a house that looks remarkably like their own. Julia passes it off as a coincidence until her nine-year-old son, Luca, reports hearing strange noises and seeing a pair of eyes peering at him through the air vent. When Julia’s childhood friend, Anya, is found dead in her bathtub nearby, the police declare it a suicide, but Julia can’t shake the feeling that the case is connected to her unwelcome visitor. Terrified, she turns to her neighbors for support, but soon worries she can’t trust anyone—and worst of all, that her tormentor might not be a stranger. Mara skillfully weaves multiple mysteries into her bustling plot, with story lines about Gabe’s strange behavior and Julia’s and Anya’s shady pasts ratcheting up the suspense. When it all comes to a head, readers will be equal parts shocked and satisfied. Agent: Diana Beaumont, Marjacq. (Aug.)