And Then There Was One-Patricia Gussin

And Then There Was One
Patricia Gussin
Oceanview, Oct 4 2010, $25.95
ISBN: 9781933515816

In Detroit, the nine year old Monroe triplets go a movie theatre at the nearby mall. Sammie and Alex attend one picture at the multiplex while the third sister Jackie and her cousin see a different picture. After the movies end, only Jackie goes home as her sisters vanish without a trace.

The FBI leads the investigation with the full cooperation of the father sports commentator Scott and the mother physician Katie whose focus is on sexual abuse of children. As time passes, Jackie is falling apart mentally from survivor guilt and her parents struggle to be there as they fear the worst and wonder if they are the cause.

Filled with twists and red herrings, readers will enjoy And Then There Was One. Children being snatched impacting parents are frequent mechanisms in literature, but the profound effect on a sibling is rarer especially a twin or triplet; perhaps the fantasy movie The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising is the nearest and that is a stretch as the hero was unaware he had a twin until deep into the film. The key to this strong abduction thriller is the reactions of the three remaining family members who each go through the stages of grief in their own ways; as they know that the family picture is incomplete without Sammie and Alex. This is a super psychological suspense thriller due to the reactions of the trio waiting with each breath one step closer to a self-customized hell.

Harriet Klausner