One Night Gone

Starred review from September 2, 2019
Laskowski’s first novel (after Bystanders, a short story collection), an evocative and beautifully crafted tale of suspense, features a girl and a woman, separated by 30 years, who each narrate their entwining stories. In 1985 in Opal Beach, N.J., teenager Maureen Haddaway: “Vanished into the summer. And no one cared.” In 2015, 40-year-old Allison Simpson has been fired as a TV meteorologist in Philadelphia following the posting of her public rant about her philandering ex-husband on YouTube. Depressed and humiliated, she needs to get away and agrees to house-sit in Opal Beach, where she forms a friendship with the manager of a local coffee shop, who still mourns the loss of Maureen. The two begin a quest to discover what really happened to the bright, troubled teen. The voices of the two narrators are vibrant, as are the descriptions of Opal Beach. At the heart of this intriguing thriller lies a disturbing awareness of society’s inclination to view women as disposable. Laskowski is off to a fine start. Agent: Michelle Richter, Foreword Literary.

October 1, 2019

DEBUT In her first novel after two short-story collections, Laskowski writes about the lives of two damaged women whose stories begin decades apart but dovetail into one suspenseful conclusion. Maureen Haddaway is a runaway teenager who, after joining a traveling carnival, goes missing in the 1980s; Allison Simpson is a disgraced TV weather reporter discarded by her philandering husband in 2015. Both end up in the same seaside town, meeting the same people, making the same friends, and crossing the same beaches; both feel like outsiders for different reasons. When Allison meets and befriends Maureen's best friend, Tammy, who has not stopped looking for Maureen in the 30 years since her disappearance, Allison is drawn into the mystery and the other secrets of Opal Beach; the twists and turns of both women's relationships fuel this thriller. VERDICT Laskowski addresses social inequality while providing a fast-moving plot. Both sides of the tracks, as well as the weather, take on almost personal characteristics. This is one for those who love twisty thrillers mixed with historical perspectives in striking locales.--Sharon Mensing, Phoenix, AZ

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
Opal Beach, New Jersey is a beautiful oasis where local families have grown wealthy from the annual tourist season, a period they despise but accept as a necessary evil. In 1986, teenage Maureen arrives at the beach and immediately is seduced by friendships, parties, romance, and the chance to escape her troubled past. Maureen is treated as an outsider by most, and when she suddenly vanishes without a trace, the local residents seem hardly to notice. Thirty years later, Allison arrives at Opal Beach also looking for a fresh start, but the lingering whisper of Maureen's disappearance just won't leave her alone. Allison is swept up in the mystery of what exactly happened to Maureen, a secret that some local residents would like to keep buried. Laskowski's debut is a promising one, displaying her strong writing skills, characterization, and plot development. This is a psychological thriller with a touch of paranormal activity, narrated by alternating voices of teenage Maureen and adult Allison, and is a good recommendation for a YA crossover novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)