A Novel of Domestic Suspense

Lynne Reeves draws on three decades of expertise as an internationally recognized school and family counselor, as well as her lifelong passion for theatre for her riveting new novel of suspense, THE DANGERS OF AN ORDINARY NIGHT, which Crooked Lane Books will publish on November 9, 2021. 

This twisty and affecting thriller, which combines a meticulously constructed crime story with a devastating domestic drama about the blind spots in our most precious relationships, will be irresistible to book clubs. Readers will relate to these seemingly ordinary characters who harbor explosive secrets. They’ll be called to examine the deepest mystery of family life—why we often hide our private struggles from the people we love most.

On a chilly fall evening at the prestigious Performing Arts High School of Boston, best friends Tali Carrington and June Danforth go missing after an audition. Two days later in a town south of Boston, Tali is found disoriented and traumatized by the ocean’s edge, while June is pronounced dead at the scene. Tali’s mother, Nell, determined to protect her daughter from further emotional trauma, dismisses the rumors of her husband’s involvement and enlists the help of Cynthia Rawlins, a brilliant reunification therapist who is struggling with her own pain. Meanwhile, Detective Fitz Jameson uncovers a criminal undertow involving the high school’s overachieving students and finally sees an opportunity for personal redemption from a secret that’s haunted him for years. As Nell, Cynthia, and Fitz are forced to confront the consequences of their past decisions, they must also determine what lengths they’re willing to go to protect the people they love—and still save themselves.