The Village

Mitchell’s (“DI Amy Winter” series) macabre stand-alone thriller tantalizes with a diabolical closed-room mystery slowly sloughing its secrets. Ten years ago, in the small village of Nighbrook, the Harper family disappeared from their home: television and oven on, doors locked from the inside. When the house goes on the market, crime journalist Naomi Ward convinces her husband Ed to purchase the property, ostensibly to escape the noise of London. Her real motive: solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Harpers from Ivy Cottage. But the residents of Nighbrook are menacingly silent about the disappearance. When Ed leaves to take care of his ex-wife, Naomi and her rebellious stepdaughter Morgan must put aside their differences to confront the evil that pervades the town—or become disappeared themselves. Clever in its pacing, the story explores the difficulties of blended families, teenage angst, and the often-painful efforts parents and children make to open themselves emotionally.