Dr Conrad Laughlin left early for his weekly rounds to the clinics outside San Antonio, but caught up with his wife Meredith by phone, one minute he is asking her what she is up to that day, the next there is a screeching of brakes and then silence….
Meredith immediately reports the accident to the police, but when they investigate they can find no evidence of an accident. Nor, it seems, was Conrad expected at the clinics. In fact they can find no trace of Conrad at all.
The story is told from the point of view of both Meredith, and Conrad’s partner Dr Key Walker. We learn fairly early on that Conrad has disappeared on occasion, be it only for a few hours, but it is enough in the current circumstances for Key to start ferreting around in Conrad’s files.
On day two of Conrad’s disappearance, Meredith officially reports him missing and when asked by the police ‘Did he have any reason to leave?’ realises that after three years of marriage there is still much of Conrad that remains hidden.
Meredith had decided to attend graduate school studying English Literature. She feels that even in the difficult circumstances it will be good for her to attend her first class. The first play on the syllabus is Shakespeare’s Othello. The use of the play was very skilfully woven into the fabric of the story.
I confess that this is my kind of book - the real suspense mystery. A book
that will keep your attention until it reaches a satisfying conclusion. A book
of deception and betrayal, and of course money. But then I so often wonder how
much we really know of anyone, even people we think that we know well.
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Lizzie Hayes