I actually read this book a while ago when I received a free copy from the author, who happens to be one of the first people I met at my very first LDStorymakers conference a few years ago. Her second novel was up for a prestigious Whitney Award at the gala immediately following the conference, and to my chagrin, I had never heard of her. When she won the Whitney for Best Mystery/Suspense, I immediately tracked down her novels, and loved them. I’ve read everything of hers sense, and they’ve never disappointed. (They’ve never disappointed the Whitney Committee, either, since this novel received her fourth Mystery/Suspense Whitney in a row last month!)

Rearview Mirror (aff) is the story of Fiona Claridge, a New England college professor. Several years before the novel, a car accident killed her roommate. As the back cover copy states, “Fiona’s guilt and grief come flooding back after opening a gift-wrapped box left outside her office that contains car keys and a malicious note.”

Shaken, Fiona travels to her hometown to attend a funeral but is followed by vivid nightmares as well as her unknown enemy, who leaves another sinister gift on her doorstep. She assumes the stalker is Kimbery Bailey, a disgruntled former student, and enlists the help of fellow professor James Hampton. But when Fiona encounters an old flame at the funeral, it’s clear her student isn’t the only one with an eye for revenge. Soon, through the maneuverings of her unknown enemy, Fiona faces criminal charges as well as continuing threats. As past and present become horribly entangled, Fiona unravels the truth about a determined killer—and finds herself on the wrong end of a knife.

I actually read Rearview Mirror on Halloween—the perfect time to read a dark psychological suspense novel, right? Stephanie Black is the queen of the (LDS) suspense genre (though you certainly don’t have to be Mormon to enjoy her books!), and she did it again with this novel. I love her evocative writing and her plot twists and turns. She always keeps me guessing, and that’s hard to do!

When I’m reading her novels, I suspect everyone . . . fictional and not. Fortunately for me and my family, Stephanie’s novels are such fast reads that my paranoia subsides quickly 😉 . I actually undertook reading this novel the day before Nano—oy! But this was a perfect Halloween read!

I received a copy of this book from the author, but let’s face it. I’m her biggest fan. I’d pay full price time and again.

What good books have you read lately?