The Heat of the Moon

Young veterinarian Rachel Goddard is drawn back into a childhood memory after a scene at the animal hospital reopens buried feelings. From there she moves toward the family secrets surrounding her mother, sister, and long-dead father, in a psychological suspense novel about control, loss, and the way the past keeps breaking into the present.

psychological suspensefamily secretsfragmented memorymother-daughter conflictcontrol and loss

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Work Information

A memory that returns in the rain begins to unravel a family secret, piece by piece.

This debut novel follows Rachel as a small incident at the animal hospital pushes her back toward buried memories and the distortions inside her family. Her mother's control, the distance from her sister, and the shadow of her dead father gradually align into a truth that unsettles her present life. It works both as psychological suspense and as a family novel with real emotional weight.

Review Summaries

Many readers value the tense family drama and the way the mystery unfolds through shifting memories. Others find the dense psychological focus and deliberate pacing more demanding.

Book Information

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Pr
Published: 2006-04-30
Pages: 268 pages
Language: 英語
Size: 14.61 x 2.41 x 22.23 cm
ISBN-13: 9781590582565
ISBN-10: 159058256X
Price: 9611 JPY
Category: 洋書/Mystery & Thrillers/Mystery/Women Sleuths

Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best First Novel If a door suddenly swings wide in your memory, what would you see? Young veterinarian Rachel Goddard's world begins to crumble when a client rushes into the animal hospital with a basset hound struck by a car during a thunderstorm. The dog owner's terrified tot, drenched with rain, loses sight of her mother in the flurry of activity and screams, "Mommy! I want Mommy!" Instantly Rachel is hurled back in time to a day in her own childhood when her baby sister Michelle uttered the same cry while thunder crashed and rain poured down on them. The unearthed memory feels like a fragment from a nightmare, and Rachel doesn't understand its meaning or the anguish it stirs up in her. When she seeks answers she learns nothing from Michelle or from Judith, their loving but manipulative mother. Judith is a psychologist who is only too happy to have her adult daughters still living in her elegant Tudor house outside Washington, DC. But their apparently serene home is a house of secrets where Judith's unspoken rules forbid questions about the family history or the daughters' long-dead father. As more baffling memories surface, Rachel begins to suspect that nothing about her family is what it seems. As her mother's attempts to control her accelerate, Rachel embarks on a quest that takes her deep into her own memory as well as halfway across the country. The heartbreaking truth she uncovers will shatter her world and force her to make an unthinkable choice.

Sandra Parshall grew up in South Carolina and has worked as a reporter on newspapers in South Carolina, West Virginia, and Baltimore. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, a long-time Washington journalist, and three cats.

Reviews

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Enjoyable red. Another new author for me. Look forward to reading more of her books.
This is very well written and grabs your attention very quickly. You'll be taken on a journey of discovery which is both suspenseful and heart wrenching and will leave you wondering what you would do in a similar situation. I'm not sure I would have had the courage to end the way main character Rachel ended her journey! I won't give anything more away here - read the book for yourself. I read it in 2 sittings - I couldn't put it down. This is a quality work and I can't wait to from this author.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought the characters were well developed and believable. The storyline moved along at a good pace and the mystery continued until the end. I wasn't sure what the heroine would do until the last page. Good read.
Unfortunately didn’t play them until after return date. Discs unplayable, faltering, bits missing etc. So disappointed!! Total waste of money!!