11. Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian

On the day that Alice Hayward is baptized by Reverend Stephen Drew in a Vermont pond, she is killed by her abusive husband in their home. What originally looks like a normal open and shut case of murder and suicide soon divides the small town of Haverill, Vermont and casts guilt on three different people. Did Alice’s husband, who was a successful small town business owner with a nasty temper and a history of abusing Alice, strangle her then shoot himself? Was the quiet Reverend Drew as innocent as he initially appeared, especially when Alice’s diaries show an affair between the two? Why was the famous author Heather Laurent, herself having been involved in a famous domestic abuse case when her father killed her mother and then himself, suddenly in town at the time of the murders?

Bohjalian, author of thirteen novels, including Midwives, returns to bestseller territory in this compelling new tale. The novel takes turns being narrated by different characters, including Reverend Drew, the hard-nosed Deputy State’s Attorney Catherine Benincasa, and the angel loving New Age author, Heather Laurent. Each section gives readers a different take on that fateful summer evening when the Hayward family violence erupts, including how much their teenage daughter, Katie, knew and saw. Bohjalian tackles some serious subjects that would be perfect for book discussion group topics, such as faith, truth, and domestic abuse and his expert character development will leave some readers guessing until the final pages. Highly recommended for those who love Jodi Picoult.