Emma in the Night: A Novel

Three years ago, Cass and Emma Tanner disappeared without a trace. Now, Cass has returned home with stories of an island where they were being held and begs everyone to please find Emma. Dr. Abby Winter was on the case the first time, and it had been eating at her for the last three years. She knew there was something not right about the family but couldn’t prove it. As she is listening to Cass tell her about her ordeal, she feels like the puzzle isn’t quite fitting together and that Cass is trying to tell her something that she is afraid to come out and say. Abby will have to sift through the lies to discover the truth and find out what really happened to Emma in the Night three years ago.

I love psychology, this idea that you can figure out why people do the things they do. This book was a great example of a psychological thriller. It is told from the point of view of both Cass and Abby, so you are getting bits and pieces of the real story and how a professional is interpreting them. Narcissistic personality disorder is also a very interesting topic, so it was enlightening to see how it plays out in story form. I think my favorite part of this book was how the author demonstrated that often when we lie, we are not far off from the truth. We lie for different reasons, but if someone were to really listen, they would discover that there is some truth buried in our lies, as, for example, when we say something happened to someone else when it really happened to us. We might be too ashamed or afraid to admit it, but someone who cares will be able to ferret out the truth. Overall, a great read that should be on your winter reading list.