Eye of the Beholder

With a nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s twisted film Vertigo—and, like Vertigo, not employing any violence—this thriller really succeeds in ramping up the anxiety. Ghostwriter Maddy has taken on a new assignment: the memoir of internationally revered cosmetic surgeon Dr. Angela Reynolds. Maddy’s pretty excited; this is the first publication that will acknowledge her as coauthor. Angela ships Maddy off to Angela’s home in the Scottish Highlands, where the author can really hunker down on the memoir. Except it turns out that the book Maddy wants to write is far different from Angela’s vision, which cuts out anything from her past. Why is the doctor so paranoid? Meanwhile, Scott, Angela’s business partner—cute but super moody!—arrives at the house for no apparent purpose, although he and Maddy do ignite a passionate romance. As is often the case in U.K. mysteries, people can be sighted standing in the fog, staring into the house, which is actually broken into several times during Maddy’s stay. But as creepy as all this is, it’s in the months after Maddy returns to London that everything begins to unravel, identities fall apart, and the truth becomes more elusive than ever.