Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay

 

Six years ago, the unimaginable happened to Andrew Mason.  He was up at his lake cabin with his best friend and partner for a fishing weekend.  He called his wife Brie Saturday night and Facetimed with her.  But when he got home Sunday, Brie was nowhere to be found.  No note, her purse and keys still in the house, no clothes missing.  Andrew called the police after he called around to her friends.

The case was never solved.  Andrew was the police's main suspect as he could conceivably driven home, killed Brie, then driven back before his friend woke up.  Brie's family was convinced Andrew was the culprit, especially Brie's sister, who started a campaign of trying to force the police to arrest him and telling anyone who would listen that Andrew was a murderer.  

Six years later, Andrew has moved on as best he can.  He sold the house and moved to a nearby town.  He has recently met Jayne and she has moved in and they are happy.  Then he gets a phone call.  His old neighbor had seen a woman next door that looked like Brie.  There is footage from a security camera and it does indeed look like her.  Soon the woman is spotted by others, including her family.  Could it really be Brie?  Where has she been?  Andrew had always thought she was probably dead but maybe she just ran away and is now back.  Where does that leave him?

This is an interesting thriller.  It highlights the limbo the families of the missing go through, never sure if their loved one is dead or alive or where they are and if alive, why they disappeared.  Can those left behind move on with their lives or will anything they build once again be destroyed if their missing person returns?  This was my first Barclay novel but I'll be reading more as I enjoyed the plotting and character creation in this one.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.