The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton couldn’t be more timely. Young girls are kidnapped then held for years in secrecy by their captors. It sounds like fiction, but of course recent headlines tell us differently. It’s a subject Norton knows well, having cowritten the bestselling nonfiction book Perfect Victim based on the famous 1977 kidnapping of Colleen Stan, who was held for seven years. The dedication of The Edge of Normal is “to Colleen Stan and to survivors everywhere.”

This is Norton’s first foray into fiction and she tells a terrifying tale with the ring of authenticity. We are introduced to San Francisco resident Reeve LeClaire, a former kidnap victim, currently under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Ezra Lerner, an expert on captivity syndromes. In his citrus-scented office, with dog Bitsy by her side, Reeve has been slowly recovering. That recovery is put in jeopardy when police rescue teenager Tilley Cavanaugh, who has been locked in a basement for the last 13 months. Her parents and friends are ecstatic, especially when janitor Randy Vanderholt confesses to the crime. But instead of rejoicing, Tilley is keeping a dark secret. Dr. Lerner and Reeve are brought in to talk to the girl, who afraid for her life, will only confide in Reeve.

We soon learn that two other teenage girls have vanished in the past two years. Are their disappearances related? Could they also be alive as captives? That’s what reporter Otis Poe suggests to the dismay of the joint task force of FBI and Jefferson County law enforcement. Finally, Tilley confesses to Reeve that there were two men who abused her. Fueled by her own anger, Reeve decides to do some investigating on her own. Helping is Deputy Nick Hudson, the sympathetic liaison working with the district attorney’s office and the county sheriff’s department. What she doesn’t realize is that she’s up against someone with a perfect cover who knows her every move. By the time you get to the end you’ll be gripping your chair and turning all the lights on.