"The First Mistake" by Sandie Jones. TNS

Ginny Greene

By any measure, Alice has been through a lot. The mysterious death of her first husband, Tom, left her shattered and helpless, too emotionally weak to care for her daughter. After years of medications and doctors’ care, she finally met Nathan and remarried, had another child and seems to be on the mend.

Alice has managed to keep the commercial design business she started with Tom going strong, and Nathan has taken an interest in the company, scouting for ever more lucrative clients. And now they’re on the verge of the deal of the century, a housing development in Japan that stands to transform their company into a global player.

What’s more, she’s found the perfect best friend in Beth, someone she confides in and trusts. After Alice spent so many years fragile and broken, Beth props her up and gives her the confidence to be her best self.

But this being a psychological thriller, none of it is what it seems — Alice’s past or her present. And when hints of lies and betrayals begin to emerge, she starts to doubt everything, and the solid foundation she’s rebuilt dissolves under her feet. As her truth unravels, readers are holding onto one thread while another suddenly dangles before us. And another.

From the author of “The Other Woman,” a debut celebrated as one of 2018’s twistier plots and a truly immersing read, this mystery/domestic thriller is perhaps more predictable but nearly as compelling as the first. Both are great pass-along books for vacation entertainment or simply vicarious getaways.

Tribune News Service