Mystery/Thriller -- 3 1/2 stars
A college student and her boyfriend disappear after an impromptu party at her quirky, wealthy friend's estate. A year later, a new prep school headmaster and his girlfriend move into a cottage bordering thick woods that separate their cottage and the estate. One morning, a sign appears on their fence: "Dig here." With no clues to what happened to the college couple, suddenly finding artifacts of their lives is unnerving, but what message is being sent and who is sending it? ----- This is a book full of interesting, diverse, and totally believable characters. Even in a simple have/have not cookie cutter scenario, Ms. Jewell has created characters who are not, in any way, simple. Clashing personalities, disparate versions of the night of the disappearance, and a slow drip of clues, keep the story moving. One flaw is a major clue that is dropped early (and rather clumsily) and then hangs like the Sword of Damocles over the rest of the proceedings. If this were a movie, you'd want to yell, "Look in the..." at the screen. The journey is fun, the landing a tad too soft.
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