Caroline Crane

To save her life and the life of her daughter, Pauline has to disappear. Her husband Jarvis has left her a note claiming that he owes some people money and begs her not to look for him, a claim backed up by a late night visit from two loan sharks. Jarvis owes them $40,000 dollars to save his failing business. The loan sharks claim that if Pauline doesn't pay up, her daughter Kirby might become the victim of an "accident".

The police can't protect her without solid evidence. Her friends in the show more affluent suburb don't want to get involved. She must take Kirby and go into hiding - lose herself in New York City. But she has no money and few connections there. How will she survive? I really liked this book but the ending was a little confusing. I give it a B+! show less

A woman wakes in hospital after a near-fatal accident. With her jaw wired shut, she can't scream when a masked intruder creeps into her room. She doesn't know who he is; she doesn't even know who she is. The masked man flees, but he will be back - this much her shattered mind knows. She's a marked woman.

Gradually her memory returns: she remembers a teenage Lyn Garrity applying for a job and falling for her married boss. Owen's marriage was on the rocks and he returned her love. She show more remembers the glamorous dates, the night drives under city lights, the secret trysts in an elegant apartment overlooking Central Park. Racked with guilt over their illicit romance, Lyn ended the affair, but she could not forget Owen. Then tragedy rocks Owen's family, bringing horror in its wake, and finally happiness.

Lyn remembers everything now - or does she? Leaving the hospital, she returns to her husband and children. But something is wrong. Things are not what they seem, or what they should be. And the man who tried to kill Lyn is still watching and waiting. He will return; it's just a matter of time.

This was the first time that I read Wife Found Slain, although I had read and enjoyed Woman Vanishes by Caroline Crane about two years ago. I give this book an A+! and certainly do recommend it to others. It was gripping and incredibly fast-paced for me. show less

October 27, 1999
Someone at the Door
Barbara Crane

I read this book in one day. It’s a very slim novel, more of a novella. I started it in the evening, and finished it right before bed. It was one of the library books I got from the library sale.

A very interesting story: a pregnant woman is very close to her due date, and after a trip to the store calls her sister to let her know it’s time. The sister will stay with the woman’s other child, an autistic boy, while the woman is in the show more hospital. As they’re talking on the phone, the pregnant woman says to her sister, “There’s someone at the door,” and those are the last words anybody hears from her. She disappears into thin air.

I won’t give it away, but I will say it had a sad ending. Captivating story, nonetheless. show less