A Tap on the Window
When Cal Weaver spots hitchhiking teenager Claire Saunders, his instincts scream that he should just get her a cab, but Claire’s vulnerability nudges the private investigator’s grief over his son’s recent death, and he offers to drive her home. In those few moments of Cals grief-clouded judgment, Claire makes Cal an unwitting instrument in her intricate plot to disappear. The next day, Claire’s best friend, Hanna, is found murdered after disguising herself as Claire to provide diversion for Claires escape. When police target Cal for Hanna’s murder, he knows that finding Claire and discovering why she ran is the only way to keep them both safe. The most obvious lead is the feud between the town’s mayor, who is Claire’s father, and the police chief over accusations of police brutality, but Cal feels he’s missing something. The characters and small-town New York setting are vividly rendered, and that credibility shifts this thriller’s premise from far-fetched to plausibly weird. Another success for Barclay, with unfettered storytelling, rapid pacing, and sympathetic characters primed to please hordes of eager summer readers. --Christine Tran