THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT (Karen White)

What a great book!  OK, in retrospect I DID suspect the outcome, but it isn't supposed to be a mystery. What made this a great book is that I kept thinking about it and wanting to get back to reading it AND I actually remember the names of all of the main characters even though I've already started reading another novel. To me, this means that it was good!

I haven't read all of Karen White's novels, but this one seems like a bit of a departure from the ones I have read.  There is no history (although there are flashbacks to the earlier years of one of the characters) and no paranormal element, just good old-fashioned Lifetime Movie thrills.  Who doesn't enjoy a good story about a sad divorcee who moves to a new home with her children, meets an intriguing man, a wise old woman with secrets, and a too-good-to-be-true new friend?

Recent divorcee Merilee Dunlap and her two children, Lily and Colin, rent a cottage on the property of 93-year-old Sugar Bates, a widowed Sweet Apple native with some deep, dark secrets.  Since Merilee herself has a past that she has been trying to run from for years, she and Sugar discover a surprising sense of kinship.  Heather Blackford, a wealthy and attractive local woman who chairs numerous events at the children's school, recruits Merilee to help, taking her under her wing and making her a part of the school's social in-crowd.  Heather and Merilee become fast friends, but Sugar distrusts Heather's motives, especially since seemingly happily married Heather was once engaged to Wade, the grandson of Sugar's best friend, who has exhibited an interest in getting to know Heather better.  A series of mix-ups with meetings, weekend getaways, and supposedly misunderstood directions eventually lead to tragedy.  I can't say anymore with giving away the whole plot, but I will say that I loved every twist and turn.  In terms of thrillers, this isn't on par with some of the big names.  There are a few things that could have been resolved but weren't, and a few spots in the story where you might find yourself saying, "Is she really that stupid?".  However, White does such a great job of making us care about and empathize with Merilee and Sugar that you just won't care about the little flaws.  I still want to find out what happens next, but the book ended.  Darn!