The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

 

There was no better place to be that summer than at Amy's.  Piper and Margot lived in a boring condo with their mother but Amy lived with her grandmother at what had been the family's livelihood, the motel.   Once a thriving business when Amy's mother and aunt had been girls, the building of an interstate spelled the end of things as visitors had no reason to stop there anymore.  Now it was a decaying wreck.  The girls were sure that there were plenty of mysteries there to be solved.  Amy's aunt Sylvie had run away when she was sixteen and was never heard from again.  Surely there were clues to be found.

Beside the twenty-eight rooms of the motel, Amy's grandfather had built a small replica of the Tower Of London.  It had three stories and turrets on top and made a marvelous clubhouse or a place to hide from Jason, the guy who hung around wanting to be included in the girls' activities.  When the three found Sylvie's suitcase hidden there, they knew they were close to solving the mystery.  Or were they?

Time passes and things change.  The three girls were not friends after that summer.  Piper grew up and moved to California.  Margot stayed in town and married Jason.  Then Amy returns with her family after years away.  Margot is on bed rest with a troubled pregnancy and Piper comes home to take care of her.  Before Piper can get over to see Amy, tragedy occurs.  Amy, her husband and her young son are found dead in a bloodbath; her daughter the only survivor as she managed to get out on the roof and so was spared.  What happened?

Jennifer McMahon was raised in Connecticut so she knows the area she is writing about.  The characters are instantly familiar to any girls who spent their school summer vacations bored and willing to follow a charismatic character.  As the story unfolds, supernatural elements start to emerge and when the final revelations are made, they are stunning.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.