In The Blood

In The Blood by Lisa Unger

Lies. If you tell enough of them, the fine line between reality and fantasy begins to blur and even you may question the truth.

Lana Granger knows all about lies. She realized long ago that hiding behind a veil of untruths enabled her to cope with her troubled childhood and the unspeakable secrets of her past. No one ever has to know. Except now, someone does, and that someone threatens to expose it all.

About to graduate from Sacred Heart College in The Hollows, New York, Lana needs to find a job. Her generous trust fund is dwindling, and it is time to at least pretend that she has the capability of becoming a responsible adult. Her mentor and psychology professor, Landon Hewes, suggests a babysitting position looking after a troubled young boy named Luke. After meeting him and his mother, Rachel, Lana seems drawn to both of them in an indescribable way. Sinister, devious, and eerily manipulative, Luke has been expelled from schools all over the country. He seeks to control all those around him. Has Lana met her match? Or has Luke met his?

Drugs help to keep Lana's own painful memories at bay; her father is now on death row for the murder of her mother, she has foggy recollections of  rehearsed lines when questioned as to what really happened that fateful night, and the fear and terror of watching a man dig a grave so long ago permeate her very being.  Is it all real or just a figment of her distorted mind?  Now her best friend, Rebecca, (Beck),  has disappeared, and Lana is a prime suspect. The police undoubtedly will attempt to uncover the truth about her. Someone is leaving clues to let her know that perhaps her best-kept secrets are waiting to surface. Lana cringes at the thought that her make-believe existence is about to come tumbling down. And all the while, an eleven-year-old boy lurks in the background. What are his ulterior motives?

If one could write a recipe for a suspenseful thriller, this novel has all the ingredients. It delves into the complicated world of mental illness, the art of mind control, and the age-old question of how much environment affects the person we become. The reader will be hooked after reading the prologue. The many complex characters come to life with so many twists and turns, it may keep you up at night. This is a riveting, engrossing novel with adult themes-a spine-tingling mystery. And it all begins with...

Lies.