The skeleton of a baby is found at a building site outside London. Journalist Kate Waters (introduced in Barton's debut, The Widow) persuades her editor to let her write the story. Her investigation uncovers connections to a decades-old unsolved case of a newborn stolen from a local hospital. The child's still-grieving parents jump at the possibility that the skeleton might be their lost daughter. Kate's search of the neighborhood for clues brings her in touch with both present and former residents, among them three young women, each of whom harbors secrets that might lead to a shocking development that could break the case and boost Kate's career. But she is caught between helping the police and exposing the identity of her journalistic sources. VERDICT Barton's second well-plotted outing, with its sustained tension and believable characters, is an excellent addition to the popular psychological thriller genre. Readers who liked Barton's first novel, Paula Hawkins's The Girl On a Train, and Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will love this. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/17.]—Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA

Canny London tabloid reporter Kate Waters, the catalyst for Barton's devastating debut The Widow, returns in this strong if more subdued psychological thriller centering on a trio of women unknowingly linked by long-buried secrets about to be unearthed. Book editor Emma Simmonds has been battling for decades with depression, as has the single mother, Jude Massingham, who threw her out of the house when she was just 16. Former nurse Angela Irving has never gotten over the kidnapping of her newborn daughter from a maternity hospital 28 years earlier, a heartbreak worsened by police suspicion of her and her husband. Emma, Jude, and Angela are each riveted, for reasons that will only gradually emerge, by an item in a newspaper reporting the excavation of an infant's skeleton at an East London building site. Kate, who could really use another major scoop to help keep her job, is also drawn to the story. Readers patient with the relatively slow initial pace until the intertwining stories gain momentum will be rewarded with startling twists—and a stunning, emotionally satisfying conclusion. Author tour. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (U.K.). (June)