When I kill you

Nell Masters has a comfortable life in London, plus a new boyfriend, but all of it is tinged with fear, as she is convinced that a killer is stalking her. She feels that she's being watched on her way to work, and she's receiving anonymous flower deliveries and phone calls with no one on the other end of the line. It is revealed that 14 years ago, when she was known as Elle Nugent, she witnessed the abduction of a student who later turned up dead. Elle gave police a description of the abductor, whom she became obsessed with tracking down. Her pursuit of the presumed killer ultimately got her warned off by the police, caused several deaths, ruined her relationship, and forced her to adopt a new identity. Now she feels hunted. She considers revealing her past life to her friends but isn't sure she can trust them, or the police. As Nell's fear grows, it is paired with journal entries from her stalker, ratcheting up the tension. VERDICT This satisfyingly creepy novel is a solid addition to Paris's collection of nail-biters, including Behind Closed Doors and The Guest.--Susan Clifford Braun

A woman with a secret past feels a reckoning draw near. Elle Nugent is minding her own business in her first-floor London flat when she hears a woman cry for help on the street: Her cellphone has just been stolen by a guy on a moped. Before Elle can respond, a car pulls up and the driver says he saw what happened. The woman gets in, presumably to chase down the thief. When the young woman's body is discovered the following day, Elle becomes the only possible witness and, certain she recognizes the man who was driving the car, is eager to help bring him to justice. But time passes, and there no arrests are made. So she begins taking matters into her own hands. In the novel's present day, more than a decade later, Elle has reinvented herself as Nell Masters. Her mysterious past has led her to keep most people at arm's length, but she's finally settling into some good friendships and is also happily dating a handsome Frenchman. But then she begins to suspect someone is watching her. Could there be a connection to the incident from her past? Or is there something suspicious about her boyfriend, whose two previous girlfriends both died? When her friend is murdered, seemingly in her stead, Nell decides she must not only accept but also prepare for the inevitable: Someone wants her dead, and they are coming for her. The ending satisfies. If only authors would drop the current trend of starting their novels in medias res with the climactic attack or trauma. Trust the power of surprise! Unexpected plot twists, in both the past and the present, keep the tension high and the pages turning. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.