Synopses & Reviews
A riveting psychological thriller in the tradition of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP and Memento that introduces P. D. Viner as a master of suspense.
Twenty years ago, college student Dani Lancing was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The killer was never found; the case long-gone cold. Her parents, Patty and Jim, were utterly devastated, their marriage destroyed. Patty has become violently consumed by the unsolved case—obsessed with following leads and desperately searching for a suspect. Jim, however, is the opposite. He’s now a shell of his former self, haunted—sometimes literally—by the loss of his daughter. They both keep in contact with Tom, Dani’s childhood sweetheart, who has become a detective intent on solving murders like Dani’s. Tom finds an opening on the case that just might finally bring some closure, so, after years of dead ends, Patty’s obsessions are lit up once again and she will do anything for revenge—even if it means dragging her whole family back into the nightmare, as lies and secrets are uncovered.
Told in fractured time, with a breathless pace and masterful plotting, THE LAST WINTER OF DANI LANCING is a superb thriller: edgy, haunting, and unforgettable.
About the Author
For fans of Tana French and The Silent Wife, THE LAST WINTER OF DANI LANCING is a chilling debut thriller hailed by Sophie Hannah as “brilliant” about one murder’s devastating ripple effects.
Twenty years ago, college student Dani Lancing was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The killer was never found. Dani’s family never found peace.
Thrust into an intense devastation that nearly destroys their marriage, Patty and Jim Lancing struggle to deal with their harrowing loss. Patty is fanatically obsessed with the cold case; consumed by every possible clue or suspect no matter how far-fetched, she goes to horrifying lengths to help clarify the past. Meanwhile, Jim has become a shell of his former self, broken down and haunted—sometimes literally—by his young daughter’s death. Dani’s childhood sweetheart, Tom, handles his own grief every day on the job—he’s become a detective intent on solving murders of other young women, and hopes to one day close Dani’s case himself.
Then everything changes when Tom finds a promising new lead. As lies and secrets are unearthed, the heartbreaking truth behind Dani’s murder is finally revealed.
THE LAST WINTER OF DANI LANCING is a shockingly disturbing and deeply powerful debut, and P.D. Viner immediately joins the ranks of Tana French, A. S. A. Harrison, and Gillian Flynn.