For thirteen-year-old Reggie, the summer of 1985 seems like an ordinary summer, hanging out in the treehouse with her best friends Charlie and Tara. But when a woman's severed hand turns up on the police department steps and her body is discovered five days later, things begin to get interesting. By the time the killer--dubbed Neptune by the press--has repeated this pattern two more times, Reggie and her friends have become thoroughly intrigued by the case. And when Reggie's mother Vera's hand is found on the steps, they know that they have only four days to find her before it's too late. Twenty-five years later, Reggie has done everything in her power to distance herself from the terrible memories of that summer. But when she finds out that her mother is alive, Reggie will have to return home to face the demons head on because Neptune is about to strike again.

Written for adults, The One I Left Behind is a good choice for older teen girls who enjoy a fast-paced thriller. Grabbing the reader's attention from page one, this captivating story alternates between the past and present. Both in 1985 and in 2010, Reggie unravels an intricate web of secrets and lies, and almost no one is who she thought they were. The 1985 storyline is really a coming of age tale of disillusionment, and the author crafts an adult version of Reggie that authentically embodies the long-term effects of her experiences during that pivotal summer. The adult Reggie has completely distanced herself from her past and keeps those close to her at arms length. When her mother resurfaces, twenty five-year-old emotional wounds are reopened and truths must be confronted. To cope with traumatic revelations about her mother in 1985, Reggie turns to cutting to "make everything else go away." Teen characters drink and smoke pot, and language can be strong (sh-t, b-tch, d-mn, b-stard, h-ll, pr-ck, f--k, a-shole). This serial killer thriller is not for the faint of heart, but is a highly entertaining and suspenseful read filled with plot twists and turns.

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