Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

  Black-Eyed Susans: A Novel of Suspense by Julia Heaberlin. Ballantine Books, 2015. Adult fiction/mystery. 

At 16, Tessa was left for dead in a ditch of black-eyed Susan flowers with bodies of other girls. She survived. The man convicted of the crimes is on death row. But, is he really the one guilty? Now, as an adult, Tessa has a teenaged daughter of her own and has tried hard to forget her past. Even with lots of counseling, she still hears those other "Susans" in her head. Tessa must deal with someone who seems to be planting black-eyed susan flowers in strategic places. Is someone after her?  Estranged from her childhood friend, Lydia, Tessa works with a handsome attorney, a smart forensic investigator, and others to find the truth so that she will be able to live her future and maybe prove who is the truly evil criminal.

(I started out reading Julia Heaberlin because she writes about Texas. It's hard now to explain to friends who have daughters with teenaged daughters that I am on a kick reading novels about teenage girls who disappear!)

Good as Gone by Amy Gentry

  Good as Gone: A Novel of Suspense by Amy Gentry. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. Adult fiction/mystery.

Julie's parents and sister Jane have lived years after eight year old Julie was apparently abducted from their home. At age 21, Julie appears on the doorstep. Is this really Julie? Where has she been?

Set in Houston, the settings ring true. Mom is an English professor and her drive to work is one that you could practically follow along the freeway as described in the book. A megachurch set in the Astrodome in many ways mirrors a real church set in another abandoned sports' venue. Different chapters about young women seem disconnected, but mesh together as the suspense builds.  The story will make readers think twice about abductions, kidnappings, sexual predators, and how families who experience any of these can continue to function and find ways to heal.