The Dangers of an Ordinary Night by Lynne Reeves. Photo: Sarabeth Pollock
Two girls go missing for two days, vanishing without a trace after auditioning for a new play at their prestigious Boston performing arts high school. When the girls are found, one is alive and the other is dead, and this is only the beginning of the mystery. Lynne Reeves spins a haunting tale in The Dangers of an Ordinary Night that has an ending you won’t see coming.
Nell’s daughter Tali came back, but Peter’s daughter June didn’t. Nell’s husband Zeke is a gambling addict who could be tied to the case. Cynthia Rawlins is Tali’s therapist who helps Nell in the aftermath of the abduction. Detective Fitz Jameson is trying to put all of the pieces together, haunted by the memory of a long-forgotten crime that fits the same pattern as this one.
The Dangers of an Ordinary Night is chock full of intrigue that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. You never see it coming. The story starts out with a parent’s worst nightmare, but in a lot of ways as you get deeper and deeper in the story it starts to become clear that things can be a lot worse. Each character is dealing with his or her own personal issues while their jobs or roles force them to keep going in spite of it all. In doing so, they’re also blinded by the terrible truths right in front of them.
For Nell, having her daughter back should have been the end of her nightmare. As she watches her daughter struggle to cope with the loss of her friend, the gaps in her memory, the idea that her own father could be part of her abduction and the pressures of being a talented student at a demanding performing arts school, Nell realizes that the nightmare has merely shifted.
Reeves starts laying out clues from the very beginning but it’s impossible to see what it all means until the force of it hits you like a semi truck. And it will hit you. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after it’s over. (When you get to the end, you’ll understand why!) Trust me, you won’t want to miss this one!
