38. A Brief Lunacy by Cynthia Thayer

Carl and Jessie Jensen are enjoying their secluded Maine house during their retirement years and spend their days painting the local forest scenery. Life is going well for the older couple, with the small exception of their daughter, Sylvie, who lives in a nearby nursing home due to psychiatric problems. The Jensens soon learn that Sylvie has fled the facility, possibly with a male resident, and although she calls her parents, they cannot determine where she is. When a male camper shows up at their door, claiming to have his camping gear stolen, Jessie invites him in for dinner and eventually offers to have Jonah spend the night. After a sleepless night, Jonah takes the couple hostage the next day and torments them both psychologically and physically for the next day. Who is this person, and does he know their daughter? The couple soon finds out secrets from him, and secrets Jessie and Carl have kept from each other over the years.

Told in an alternating fashion, with Jessie and Carl sharing their version of the home invasion, this is a chilling novel. The character Carl is especially well developed and how he was able to survive the Birkenau concentration camp is shocking. Everyone involved with the story has secrets, some that will change the way characters see each other for the rest of their lives. This novel has relentless suspense and takes a strong look at sanity and madness.