Under Currents - by Nora Roberts

About the Book

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a novel about the power of family to harm--and to heal. Within the walls of a tasteful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, young Zane Bigelow feels like a prisoner of war. Strangers--and even Zane's own aunt across the lake--see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Zane and his sister know the truth: There is something terribly wrong. As his father's violent, controlling rages--and his mother's complicity--become more and more oppressive, Zane counts the years, months, days until he can escape. He looks out for little Britt, warning her: Be smart; Be careful. In fear for his very life, he plays along with the insidious lie that everything is fine, while scribbling his real thoughts in a secret journal he must carefully hide away. When one brutal, shattering night finally reveals cracks in the faðcade, Zane begins to understand that some people are willing to face the truth, even when it hurts. As he grows into manhood and builds a new kind of family, he will find that while the darkness of his past may always shadow him, it will also show him what is necessary for good to triumph--and give him strength to draw on when he once again must stand up and defend himself and the ones he loves..."--

Book Synopsis

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, Under Currents is a novel about the power of family to harm--and to heal.

For both Zane and Darby, their small town roots hold a terrible secret. Now, decades later, they've come together to build a new life. But will the past set them free or pull them under?

Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers and even Zane's own aunt across the lake see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back...

Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own.

Together they will have to teach each other what it means to face the past, and stand up for the ones they love.

Review Quotes

Roberts's latest is full of powerful, magnetic characters who have overcome terrible situations. Suspense and sensual romance are expertly combined in this riveting story. - Publishers Weekly

Heartfelt . . .Roberts continues to wow readers . . . an impressive addition to her remarkable literary canon. -Booklist

Roberts combines complex characters with a vivid setting to create a real page-turner...this contemporary fiction mixed with a bit of suspense is completely engaging. - Library Journal

Readers can always count on Nora Roberts to deliver high-octane thrillers that focus on the bonds of small-town life, dark secrets and the prospect of new love complicated by evil lurking around sharp corners. She doesn't disappoint...a chilling, suspenseful story that proves how appearances can be utterly deceiving. - Shelf Awareness

Pull out your tissues and be prepared to cry...staggeringly emotional. Nora Roberts is a master at crafting realistic characters who tug at your heartstrings. - Fresh Fiction

[Under Currents] is brilliantly plotted and unrelentingly propulsive. It is a beautifully written story about the fragility of life and the power of the past and the need to fight back... a highly recommended novel for this summer. - The Washington Book Review

About The Author

NORA ROBERTS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Under Currents, Shelter in Place, Year One, Of Blood and Bone, Come Sundown and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.