McMahon's newest, Don't Breathe A Word, might just be the most compelling of all. It's my favorite of the three books I've read by her, not because it's less creepy than the others, but because it's got a clever bent to it that kept me guessing through the whole book. I love me a psychological thriller, even if it's one I have to read only in the daylight. With the doors locked. And the shades drawn. When I'm surrounded by people. Ahem. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. Okay, moving on ...

Don't Breathe A Word takes place in a small Vermont town called Harmony. It's a green, peaceful hamlet that should be an idyllic spot for children to grow up. And it would be, maybe, if it weren't for the woods. In the middle of the trees sits the ruins of an old village, the inhabitants of which - it is said - were whisked away by the King of the Fairies in 1918. When, some 70 years later, a 12-year-old girl goes missing from the same spot, it confirms the rumors about the haunted woods. The fact that Lisa O'Toole Nazzaro told her younger brother she planned to step through a magical door in the woods that would take her to Fairyland, just before she disappeared without a trace, sounds crazy - except to long-time residents of Harmony. The ones who know about the woods. The ones who hear sounds out there, who see strange things, who stay far, far away from the forest and all its secrets.

Fifteen years after Lisa's disappearance, 35-year-old Phoebe is dating sweet, steady Sam Nazzaro. Although she's always been fascinated with the story of little Lisa traipsing off to join the fairies, Phoebe doesn't, at first, know about Sam's connection to the missing girl. When she discovers that he's her younger brother, the same boy to whom Lisa confided about the fairies in the woods, Phoebe's even more intrigued. She doesn't dare ask Sam about the disappearance since she knows he's determined to put the past behind him, but she wonders what really happened the night Lisa vanished into the woods. Does Sam believe the fairy story? He won't say. Even when a series of strange, unexplainable occurrences shakes the couple's world, rocketing the past right into the present, Sam remains tight-lipped. Maybe Sam doesn't believe, but Phoebe can't explain the eerie happenings any other way - if it's not the King of Fairies messing with their lives, then who is it?

It took me all of a chapter to be thoroughly spooked by Don't Breathe A Word. And a lot less than that to be totally and completely hooked. The whole fairy plotline makes this missing girl story different, lending it a dark kind of charm. I wanted to believe in Lisa's fairy world, so much so that I almost skipped the last, everything-is-revealed section of the book. I'm glad I didn't, though, because then I would have missed the book's final, brilliant scene, the one that made me question everything.

Intrigued yet? See what I mean about that darn Jennifer McMahon? She drags you into her macabre little stories whether you like it or not. I'm going to give you the same advice about McMahon that Lisa was given about the fairies: Stay away. Far, far away. And if you ignore this advice, beware - nightmares will ensue.

(Readalikes: Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence and sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Don't Breathe A Word from the generous folks at Harper Collins and TLC Book Tours, for whom this review was written. Thank you!

If you've read other books by Karen White, you'll recognize her damaged-woman-finds-healing/redemption-in-revealing-long-buried-family-secrets formula. I'm usually more than down with that, but the familiar plot got a little tedious for me in White's newest, The Beach Trees. The novel kept my attention, even though it ran long, it was just the little things that bugged me - the characters never really came alive for me, some of the plot twists seemed illogical, and the book's Julie-can-survive-her-trials-because-Katrina-victims-didn't-give-up-in-the-face-of-theirs seemed a bit heavy-handed. I also puzzled over things like Julie's decision to up and move to Mississippi without even seeing the house she inherits and the way the Guidrys welcome a complete stranger into their home, not blinking an eye when she questions them about sensitive issues from their pasts. Then, there's Julie's complete devotion to Monica, a character who might as well be a paper doll for all we know about her. So, yeah, I had some issues. All in all, though, I enjoyed the read, just not as much as I wanted to.

(Readalikes: The Lost Hours by Karen White; The Memory of Water by Karen White; Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen)

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs) and a small amount of sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The Beach Trees from the lovely ladies over at TLC Book Tours, for whom this review was written.