Vicki Miller

Paranoia, great characters and shocking life choices, make Caroline Louise Walker’s debut novel a great read. The novel begins as Dr. Robert Hart is celebrated for his philanthropy and distinguished career at the Sag Harbor Man of the Year. Hart is the classic educated and privileged middle aged man with a beautiful wife, dedicated son and very successful career. The novel follows the family as they invite their son’s orphaned college roommate to stay in their guest house for the summer. Told from the point of view of Dr. Hart for the first half of the book, we are able to follow his feelings and interpretations of the activities around the changes that come from their guest’s stay. Hart comes to various points of vulnerability that result in paranoia and deceptions that leave the reader turning pages to see how he will behave next. For me, a good thriller exposes real tension, complications and several twists as the story builds. The end of the book jumps to other characters point of view to slowly unwrap the finale, to the very end of the book. Walker’s writing is compiling and a page turner!