I cannot believe I am standing in the exact spot where I was standing when I killed my mother...When she was ten Liza Barton shot her mother dead, trying to protect her from her violent stepfather. The court ruled the death a tragic accident. Many believed it to be deliberate murder. Twenty-four years later, Liza is known as Celia. Now a successful interior designer, living in Manhattan, she is happily married for the second time, with a young son, Jack, by her first marriage. Nothing can disturb their peace. But when her new husband surprises her with a gift, her world is suddenly shattered - for it is the very same house where her mother met her death. It soon becomes clear that someone in the community knows Celia's true identity. And when the estate agent who sold the house is brutally murdered, Celia instantly becomes a suspect. As Celia fights to prove her innocence, she has no idea that she and Jack could be the next targets of a ruthless killer.
From Publishers Weekly
Clark's clever use of a bit of New Jersey real estate code fits perfectly into her usual formula for minting bestsellers in a novel about past deadly secrets coming to haunt the present. At One Old Mill Lane, in Mendham, N.J., 10-year-old Liza Barton wakes to find her stepfather, Ted Cartwright, attacking her mother, Audrey. Liza grabs a gun in defense, but in the ensuing melee Audrey is killed and Ted is wounded. Dubbed "Little Lizzie Borden," Liza is taken away and almost convicted of murdering her mother and attempting to kill the lying, scheming Ted. Twenty-four years later, Liza, now known as Celia Foster Nolan, has just been presented with a surprise birthday present from her new husband, Alex: the house at One Old Mill Lane. Alex doesn't know Celia is really Liza, and he doesn't know the house's grim pastβbut thanks to a real estate code obligating agents to notify prospective buyers if a house could be considered "stigmatized property," he's about to find out about the latter at least. As Celia fights to keep her dark secret hidden, their real estate agent turns up dead. More folks are killed and Celia comes under suspicion. But in typical Clark style, most of the characters look a little guilty. Some readers will get annoyed by Celia's tendency to do things that reinforce the cops' suspicions, but Clark's steadfast fans will suspend all necessary disbelief and play along. Agent, Sam Pinkus. One million first printing; main selection of the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Doubleday Large Print, Mystery Guild and BOMC. (Apr.)
Review
'Clark plays out her story like the pro that she is ... flawless'
DAILY MIRROR