The River Killings — Merry Jones

Continuing the page-turning suspense of The Nanny Murders, Merry Jones's sequel, The River Killings, weaves a taut, fast-paced tale in the estimable tradition of Mary Higgins Clark. Heroine Zoe Hayes, a divorced art therapist with a six-year-old adopted daughter, returns with another gripping tale set in Philadelphia, this time taking place on the famous Boathouse Row.

On summer vacation from her job as an art therapist, Zoe takes a sculling class for fun with her best friend, Susan Cummings. One evening, while her daughter, Molly, waits with Susan's children at the boathouse on the banks of the Schuylkill River, Zoe rows off with Susan to practice for an upcoming regatta. When Susan's oar catches on some flotsam (which turns out to be a woman's dress), the boat flips, and the two find themselves in deep waters with not just one but an entire throng of floating bodies.

Someone along Boathouse Row is a murderer, but who? After Zoe argues with Detective Nick Stiles, her boyfriend, she and Molly head out to the river at night. There, Zoe uncovers a sinister plot that she and Molly might not be able to escape.