Emma Cartwright, aka Susan Webster, was convicted of murdering her four-month-old son, Dylan, in a state of postpartum depression and was sentenced to a psychiatric institution. Recently released, she's attempting to put her life back together and move forward, but the past keeps intruding. A photo of a toddler who could be her son appears on her doorstep; she sees someone who looks like him on the street; and she's haunted by dream-like images that could be reality. This leaves Susan wondering exactly what happened four years ago, when Dylan was pronounced dead.
How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst is a psychological thriller that weaves Susan's memories of her marriage and first few weeks with Dylan into her ruminations and doubts about her ability to murder her own child. With the help of an attractive male investigative reporter, she searches for answers as more clues are thrust in their direction. This thread is coupled with flashbacks to the past involving a brotherhood of college boys with a sordid and twisted past, one that links with Susan's present in strange and unexpected ways. As the events unfold, the tension ramps up, creating a whirlwind story that races toward a logical, yet not unexpected, conclusion. Despite some stereotypical characters (primarily the frat boys), Blackhurst has developed likable characters in Susan and her allies, and offers readers a complex suspense novel. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer