‘Three Beths,’ one daughter and a stunning finale

Of the three Beths who inhabit this edgy family thriller, one is most important to Mariah Dunning, the 22-year-old heroine of “The Three Beths.”

Mariah’s mother, Beth, disappeared more than a year ago from their hometown of Lakehaven, Texas, a suburb of Austin. More than anything, Mariah wants her mother to return, to be able to reconcile the argument they had and to restore the reputation of her father, Craig, the prime suspect of the police — and his neighbors — in his wife’s disappearance.

Award-winning author Jeff Abbott uses his standalone novel to explore family dynamics. The absorbing “The Three Beths” quickly moves from a plot about a disappearance to the story of a family surviving devastating news while under the scrutiny of a community.

It’s also the tale of a young woman coming to terms with who she is. The longer Beth Dunning is missing, the more emotionally fragile Mariah becomes. Consider her very public meltdown at the mall when she thinks she spots her mother.

Mariah turns to an old high school friend who writes a crime blog under the name Reveal who’s angling to host a truecrime TV show in L.A. Reveal tells Mariah that another woman named Beth also vanished about the same time as her mother. That Beth — Bethany Curtis — was married to a tech millionaire who also was the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. A third Beth, known only as Lizbeth and also missing, rounds out the trio.

“The Three Beths” effectively keeps the reader off-kilter as Abbott delves into the psyche of Mariah, who is wracked by unresolved issues with her mother and wanting to care for her father. Mariah is not an easy character, with her strident personality and hair-trigger temper. But Abbott invests Mariah with resilience and a fervent desire to find her mother that keeps the reader on her side.

Abbott’s breathless pacing and surprising twists lead “The Three Beths” to a stunning finale.

Meet the author

Jeff Abbott discusses “The Three Beths” at 8 p.m. Oct. 29 at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, 305-442-4408.

Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol.com.

LESLIE ABBOTT PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY Author Jeff Abbott's newest novel is "The Three Beths."