Book Review: The Light in the Barn by Susan P. Baker

The Light in the Barn: A Domestic Thriller by Susan P. Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The mounting page-by-page suspense makes this book hard to put down!

The Light in the Barn by Susan P. Baker is a new domestic thriller featuring newlyweds, an old barn full of junk, and a serial killer on the loose! After a whirlwind courtship, recently-divorced Aurora married Jeff, a handsome, charming medical supplies salesman, and when her grandfather passed away soon after, they moved from Houston into the country farmhouse he left her. Ten months later, however, the honeymoon was over, as Jeff became increasingly critical of her every move and thought, maritally demanding, and spending much more time away on sales trips than at home.

Aurora, a budding mystery writer, tried to balance her time working on her who-dun-it with clearing out the years of building materials collected and stored in the barn by her grandfather for a planned series of yard sales to help fund their own renovation efforts. However, late in the night before their first sale, with Jeff still out of town, Aurora surprises a trespasser dressed all in black lurking in the barn. Knocked down as he rushed away but unhurt, Aurora is shaken but returns to bed as she needs to get up early to set up and open the sale. With her girlfriends' help and Jeff eventually making a late-morning appearance, the sale goes well, with no signs of the evening visitor's return or of anything being taken. Ian, a handsome house flipper new to the small rural community, catches the eye of Aurora's best friend, Sarah, as he browses for materials he can use in his latest home restoration.

Meanwhile, the county is experiencing a rash of young women being abducted from local shopping malls, their bodies later found dumped on the side of a road, often showing signs of having been run over. Sarah, having had no luck in attracting Ian's attention and unable to verify his identity online or through social media, begins to suspect the lifestyle of a house flipper might be the perfect cover for a serial killer. When Ian keeps showing up at the farmhouse while Jeff is on the road, wanting to search through the barn for more items he can use on his current home project, Aurora, too, begins to wonder if he might be THE ONE and that she may be THE NEXT.

The story is tension-filled and fast-paced, with suspense building with every turn of the page. Aurora has been deeply hurt by her first husband's betrayal and is starting to realize she doesn't really know much about her new one, who has stopped being so charming or attentive and has shifted to verbal abuse and gaslighting her at every turn. The couple's confrontation over Chloe, the adopted guard dog, was nasty and shocking on Jeff's part.

Everyone's suspicions grow when a murder occurs close to home, but there are a couple of good suspects to consider, complicating and already vexing case of who is really behind the disappearances and deaths of the young women. The final resolution came as an absolute surprise, with its "killer" twist.

I recommend THE LIGHT IN THE BARN to readers of suspense and domestic thrillers.

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