Six top novels about women trying to outrun their past

Suzanne Redfearn is the bestselling author of four novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, In An Instant, and Hadley & Grace.

[Q&A with Suzanne Redfearn; My Book, The Movie: Hadley and Grace; The Page 69 Test: Hadley & Grace]

Born and raised on the east coast, Redfearn moved to California when she was fifteen. She currently lives in Laguna Beach with her husband where they own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza & Beer.

In addition to being an author, Redfearn is an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. When not writing, she enjoys doing anything and everything with her family—skiing, golf, tennis, pickleball, hiking, board games, and reality TV. She is an avid baseball fan. Her team is the Angels.

At CrimeReads Redfearn tagged six novels about women fleeing for and from their lives, including:

Barbara O’Neal, When We Believed in Mermaids

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal is another story about wanting to put a troubled past behind. Fifteen years ago, Josie Bianci died… or so her family believed. Until one day, Josie’s sister, Kit, sees a fleeting image on television of a woman identical to her sister. Kit follows the trail to New Zealand hoping to put her own demons to rest. And when she finds her sister, alive and living a life entirely removed from the one she left behind, past and present collide, and Kit and Josie are forced to face a choice of how much they are willing to risk by facing the truth for the sake of reclaiming their relationship. A stunning story full of secrets, betrayal, loss, forgiveness, and redemption.

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue