cover image Idyll Fears: A Thomas Lynch Novel

Idyll Fears: A Thomas Lynch Novel

Stephanie Gayle. Seventh Street, $15.95 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-63388-357-4

The wintertime disappearance of six-year-old Cody Forrand in rural Idyll, Conn., drives Gayle’s absorbing sequel to 2015’s Idyll Threats. Former NYPD homicide detective Thomas Lynch, the state’s only gay police chief, must act fact fast, since Cody has a rare nervous system disorder that makes him unable to feel pain, and the police and Cody’s parents are worried that the boy may freeze to death. As Thomas and his team begin to dig into Cody’s family, some odd things begin to surface. FBI agents join the hunt, including one who’s dangerously attractive to Thomas. Can they find Cody before it’s too late? Gayle does a fine job of capturing small-town life, and Lynch, who narrates, is droll and very private, which is hard to be in a place where everyone knows everybody else’s business. Fans of the first book will be delighted, and newcomers will find a new favorite. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency. (Sept.)