Haven't killed in years

Green's uneven sophomore thriller (after The Prized Girl) centers on Gwen Tanner, the daughter of a serial killer, who has refashioned herself into an unassuming financial services employee. Approaching 30, Gwen--whose birth name is Marin Haggerty--spends most of her free time sculpting pottery that she destroys before firing it in the kiln. When she was nine, Gwen's father, Abel, was convicted on eight counts of first-degree murder, and her mother, Reanne, went to prison for aiding and abetting his crimes. Gwen, meanwhile, was sent to an institution for troubled children that eventually set her up with her new identity. Her quiet life is disrupted when a human forearm is left on her doorstep in Boston shortly after Reanne is released from prison. Worried that someone has discovered her real identity, Gwen sheds her office drone persona to become an intrepid gumshoe, going undercover on a "murder tour" offered by a man who's visited her father in prison and pursuing other leads. The search makes her surprisingly nostalgic for her unstable childhood--and proves that her past has long been closer than she thought. Green ropes readers in with a canny premise and a tantalizing mystery, but the narrative quickly becomes unwieldy, with the relentless pile-on of potential suspects slowing momentum to a crawl. It's a mixed bag. Agent: Brandi Bowles, UTA. (Nov.)

Gwen Tanner's father, Abel, is in prison for a string of murders committed when Gwen was a child. Her mother has recently been released from prison. Since her turbulent childhood, Gwen has changed her identity and started a new life, doing her best to fly under the radar. When she begins to receive body parts and threatening messages at her apartment, she is forced to examine both her past and present to uncover who knows her real identity and what they'll do next. Gwen is a memorable and complex protagonist who does not fall into the hero/antihero archetype. The twists and turns of the mystery are revealed at a satisfying pace, keeping readers intrigued without making them wait until the end of the book for a big reveal. Present-day storytelling and flashbacks are both used effectively to bring depth to Gwen's character and provide context for her decisions. VERDICT Green's follow-up to The Prized Girl is a noteworthy entry into a genre that is often filled with repetitive tropes. An excellent addition to popular fiction collections, recommended for fans of Riley Sager and Lisa Jewell.--Heather Sheahan