Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag

 

When Dana awakes this time, she is in the back of the killer's car.  He is taunting her, telling her that he is taking her to her grave.  Bound and tortured, barely conscious, somewhere Dana finds the will to get herself free and to grab one of his torture instruments and kill him instead.

She is out from under his plans, but hardly free.  He left Dana, a rising television reporter, disfigured and fearful.  She spends several months in rehabilitation then returns home.  Every step forward is matched by one backward and she struggles to return to her old self.  Her mother wants to baby her and wrap her in tissue paper, refusing to acknowledge that Dana is strong and can be independent.  Her stepfather cannot even look at her.  She starts to recognize people from her past, old friends she went to high school with before she got herself out of this small town and out into the world.

She also remembers what happened to her best high school friend.  Casey disappeared the summer after they graduated high school and has never been heard from again.  The police investigation went nowhere.  Casey had dated John, who has also returned to town after an army stint that left him with medals and PTSD.  Dana had dated Tim who is now back in town and a policeman.  Can Dana solve the mystery of Casey's disappearance and will it put her in more danger?

Tami Hoag is known for her suspenseful thrillers and this one is no different.  Dana is a resilient character and the reader will be cheering for her to make a new life after what has been dealt to her.  The suspense and pace are appropriate and there are twists and turns that keep the reader's attention.  This book is recommended for mystery and thriller readers.