Stay Close by Harlan Coben (Dutton)

Sometimes we think our pasts will stay buried, but too often our past transgressions come back to bite us. Ray Levine was once a top photographer and now uses his talent for cheap assignments. Megan Pierce once led a wild life as an exotic dancer named Cassie, but is now a suburban housewife with two kids. Broome is an Atlantic City detective still brooding over a 17-year-old case—an event that connects the three of them. Ray and Megan have tried to bury the past, but Broome has never let it go. Now those events will make their lives miserable in the here and now.

Ruth Green's life has never been the same since her husband disappeared 17 years ago. The strange circumstances of his disappearance have haunted Broome all these years. Although Broome is divorced from his ex-police partner, Erin, he still keeps in touch. Now a new disappearance causes Broome to look at the old case again. Erin's research has discovered a link between these two cases and the disappearance of men who disappeared on or within a day of Mardi Gras.

Harlan Coben's latest thriller is a bit darker than his previous writings showing readers the underside of the glamour of Atlantic City. Stay Close poses the question: Are any of us truly either all good or all bad?

—Steve Bank