Emma in the Night
By Wendy Walker
St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250141422, August 2018, 336pp.
The Short of It:
No one can be trusted.
The Rest of It:
Three years ago the Tanner sisters disappeared without a trace. One day, Cass shows up on her mother’s doorstep, three years older but without her sister, Emma. When the investigators are called in to question her, she urgently pleads for them to find Emma, who is hopefully still on the island she just escaped from.
The investigators don’t fully believe the story Cass is telling them. Something is off. To complicate things, Cass and Emma’s mother is narcissistic and continues to turn the attention back to herself anytime Cass or Emma is in the spotlight. One of the investigators, Dr. Winter, is very familiar with this disorder since she dealt with it in her own childhood so she watches them all carefully to see if she can decipher what really happened to Emma and Cass.
Emma in the Night is super twisty and delves into some much deeper issues than you might expect. This family is beyond dysfunctional and no one can be trusted which makes for good reading. Until the final pages, I had an idea of what happened to them but nothing solid and I was somewhat off when it was finally revealed.
This is a smart, highly detailed story about a seriously messed-up family. It’s gritty and some parts will leave you cringing. Some of the story lines could be triggering as well so be warned. Overall, I’d recommend it.
Source: Purchased
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Book Chatter 
I think I tried this on audio once but it seemed too crazy for me and I put it aside. But that usually makes it good as a mystery/thriller. The high family dysfunction can also put me off at times. But I’m glad you liked it.
I don’t think I could listen to this one on audio. It was highly detailed in print. I often had to go back and reread parts just to be clear on the details. Lots of info provided which you could miss if not paying attention.
Thrillers give me bad dreams, so I will be passing on this. Still, I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I read this one a couple of years ago and went back and read my thoughts on it. Happily, it’s one that shared on my blog. Yes, it was definitely twisty and I liked it. I had the beginning paragraphs there and recall the references to Narcissus and his odd story.
I really like plots that keep me guessing until the end!
Great review, sounds like a book I’d enjoy!
Ah, a narcissistic parent (or… president) can really screw things up, can’t they?! This book sounds super creepy and intriguing.
Your presidential comment is not wrong. LOL.
This sounds like my kind of read. I wonder if this would work well on audio.
I had a few people tell me it was good on audio. Audio doesn’t work for me unless I am a captive audience meaning, stuck in the car or on a treadmill or something.