All Around the Town

by Mary Higgins Clark

Four-year-old Laurie Kenyon was abducted from her front lawn and then released two years later in the early morning hours at a school house where she was found by the caretaker.

When she is picked up by her parents, they are just glad to have her home and deny that she might need counseling. Her sister Sarah had vowed to keep Laurie safe hoping it would make the "gift" of her own birth as wonderful as the "miracle" of Laurie's birth. The nuns had told her a miracle was always better than a gift.

It is now 15 years later; Sarah and Laurie's parents have been killed in an automobile accident. It has become evident that Laurie's parents made a mistake by not allowing her to go through counseling. She is now a senior in college and has been accused of murdering her English professor, Allan Grant. She has no memory of the murder. The investigation reveals Laurie exhibiting other personalities that have been hidden these past years. Each personality takes turns to protect Laurie, making find the truth more difficult.

Did Laurie kill Professor Grant or was it one of her other personalities that murdered him? Sarah, who is now an attorney has quit her job and decided to spend her time investigating the crime and representing her sister in court.

While much of the story is predictable, there are a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. I found it quite enjoyable.