BLAME

An amnesiac accident victim has to investigate her own past in Abbott’s (The First Order, 2016, etc.) tense psychological thriller.

The Austin, Texas, suburb of Lakehaven is shaken when two teenagers drive off a cliff; driver Jane Norton survives while high school hero David Hall is killed. Jane comes out of a coma with part of her memory lost, beginning with her father’s mysterious death three years earlier. After a note is found at the accident scene that suggests Jane caused the accident in a suicide attempt, she becomes an outcast and is especially hated by David’s mother, Perri. But all may not be what it seems, as a mysterious internet poster taking the name Liv Danger threatens both Jane and Perri, claiming that "all will pay” when the truth comes to light. Over time Jane becomes less sure she can trust her therapist, any of her friends, or even her mother, who is trying to have her committed to a mental institution. As Jane pieces together her own history, she becomes convinced she wasn’t trying to kill herself, and the accident starts looking more like murder.

The unconventional plot, the constant surprises, and above all the psychological depth of the characters all make this a first-rate crime novel.