HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS

A young woman unearths troublesome secrets in her late grandfather’s past in Vancise’s dark thriller.

After a family tragedy five years ago, Evie Day left her small town behind for another Arkansas city. Now, in 1991, her beloved grandfather Ollie’s death has brought the 23-year-old back home. While perusing family photos, she finds a mysterious image of an unknown woman standing near a tiny wooden box. It’s connected to Ollie’s first case as a uniform cop—and it’s only one of a series of cryptic items that Evie stumbles upon, including an old vial of blood and a knitting needle with dried gore on its tip. She’s determined to make sense of it all, but her investigation leads to more questions. Who, for example, is the “street lady” she keeps seeing in her immediate vicinity? Evie’s amateur sleuthing later results in someone’s breaking into her apartment to leave her a threatening note. Elsewhere, a man named Charlie Baker, with a therapist’s help, is attempting to unlock repressed memories of unspeakable trauma, which ultimately links to Evie’s investigation. Vancise’s young hero is intriguingly complicated. For example, she gives her mom the cold shoulder for initially mysterious reasons, pines for a boyfriend she broke up with, and digs into the opaque mystery of her grandfather out of sheer curiosity. It’s a treat to follow Evie as she gradually works out the puzzle, although when the story introduces her friend’s psychic ability and FBI ties, it feels a bit too convenient. The unrelentingly bleak scenes involving Charlie teem with violent images, some of which involve children. However, it’s a testament to Vancise’s writing that the most graphic sequences are implied rather than excessively detailed. The author also excels at offering subtle updates, with Evie doing quick, helpful run-throughs of what she’s learned so far and what she’s still looking for. Numerous surprises pop up, and not all in the final act; however, one of the later ones packs the meanest punch.

A grim but exciting and compelling mystery even in its most disconcerting moments.