Desperate

Starred review from March 24, 2014
Palmer (Stolen) burnishes his status as one of today’s best thriller writers with this emotionally gripping and steel-trap plotted standalone. Gage Dekker works at Lithio Systems, a maker of lithium-ion batteries in Waltham, Mass., doing quality assurance for a revolutionary new product. The loss of his seven-year-old son and first wife to a drunk driver still haunts him, but he’s tried to move on with a new spouse, Anna Miller, who also lost her son. Having failed to produce a baby of their own, Gage and Anna, a management consultant, have begun looking into adoption. One day at a bus stop, they encounter a crying pregnant woman, Lily, sitting on the curb. Anna gives Lily her card in case she needs help. Two weeks later, Lily turns up at their apartment to say she’s willing to let them adopt her baby. Lily moves into a spare room, but Gage soon gets bad vibes from her after a number of creepy incidents. The truth behind Lily’s offer is both complex and logical, and Palmer is so successful at getting readers to invest in Gage that his travails are almost too painful to read about. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

April 1, 2014

The young girl crying on the curb can't be anything but serendipity. Having each lost a son, Gage and Anna Dekkar can't believe their good luck when fate gives them Lily--a beautiful young woman who doesn't have a place to live and also happens to be pregnant. Before Gage knows it, Lily has moved into his upstairs rental unit, and Anna is buying prenatal vitamins and chauffeuring Lily to the obstetrician. While Anna is overjoyed with the whole experience, Gage soon notices an unsettling cruelty in Lily that makes him question her true motives. VERDICT Palmer's (Stolen; Helpless; Delirious) latest thriller begins with a Hand That Rocks the Cradle vibe, but veers into drug dealers, murder, and corporate espionage. Anna's willingness to be manipulated, her desperation to have a baby, and her resentment of Gage may wear on some. Readers who have lost a child will have problems with the ubiquitous references to this painful experience, but others who enjoy psychological thrillers may enjoy the story once they get past the seemingly never-ending quest for a baby. [The writer is the son of Michael Palmer, an author of best-selling medical thrillers who died last October; his final novel is reviewed below.--Ed.]--Vicki Briner, Westminster, CO

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
In Palmer's latest, a couple who came together under tragic circumstancesthey met at a support group for parents whose children have dieddecides to adopt. This doesn't sound especially implausible, but there's also the fact that the child Gage and Anna decide to adopt is the unborn baby of Lily, a young woman they happened to meet at a bus stop (who then tracked them down to their house and offered them her child). The book is full of crazy-person red flags, and, to be fair, Gage does see them, does think something's not quite right with Lily. But every time he accuses Lily of something, Anna jumps to the girl's defense, and there's always a seemingly simple explanation. This is one of those thrillers where you know something is going on, and the writer gives you plenty of clues, but there are still some twists and turns he keeps hidden away until just the right moment. A smartly constructed tale that operates on multiple levels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)