What You See

August 31, 2015
Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Ryan deftly handles four distinct story lines in her strong fourth Jane Ryland novel (after 2014’s Truth Be Told). A man has been stabbed to death in a public square across from Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall in broad daylight; a troubled college student deals with a boring job and survivor guilt following her perfect older sister’s death; and newly unemployed reporter Jane, having quit her job for ethical reasons, finds herself thrust into a freelance gig covering the Faneuil Hall murder that her secret love interest, Det. Jake Brogan, is investigating. Finally, Gracie, the child of Jane’s sister’s fiancé, appears to have been kidnapped by Gracie’s stepfather. As the story races on—and it does move fast—the layers of connection among these plot threads gradually become clear. Fully drawn characters, palpable suspense, and not one, but two unexpected endings are a plus. There’s even some humor in the way Jane can’t catch a break job-wise. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.