42. Last Seen Leaving by Kelly Braffet

Anne Cassidy is living a quiet life in Sedona, Arizona, where she has devoted her life to New Age practices. Years ago, her husband, Nick, went missing while flying cargo somewhere in Central America. There have always been questions as to who her husband really worked for, and why his body has never been found. These questions have disturbed their child, Miranda, and as a result, she and Anne have not seen each other in three years. A college dropout who drifts around, Miranda always spoke to her mother every couple of months. When Anne realizes that she hasn’t spoken to Miranda in two months, and finds out her apartment in Pittsburgh has been abandoned, Anne fears the worst for her daughter.

While Anne searches for Miranda, the novel also tells Miranda’s side of the story. Involved in a drunken car crash, she is picked up on the highway by a stranger, George, and has him drop her off in Virginia, where she soon becomes a maid in a seedy hotel and lives the boardwalk life. Someone starts killing women in the seaside community, and it seems that a body appears every time, George re-enters Miranda’s life. Is George the killer? Will Miranda ever reach out and reconnect with her mother? This is at times an emotional novel and a novel of suspense. Full of wonderfully written characters, it explores the roles of family and what secrets can do to relationships over the years.