Kate White's latest thriller, I CAME BACK FOR YOU, is truly an edge-of-your-seat mystery because she keeps the lid on tight over the killing that is at the center of the story.

Bree Winter lives in Uruguay with her partner on a chacra, an idyllic farm nestled near the ocean. But despite her happiness with Sebastian, she's kept a part of her past life hidden. She's never completely shared what happened when her daughter was murdered during her junior year of college. Now, information surfaces that perhaps the serial killer whom they thought was responsible for Melanie's death didn't do it.

"White's brilliant unfolding of the plot, her deft delivery of the clues, and her ability to make Bree a character we deeply empathize with all serve to make I CAME BACK FOR YOU a quick and extremely satisfying read."

The timing coincides with an event that is being hosted by Carter College, where Melanie attended, to celebrate a substantial donation that Bree's ex-husband, Logan, is making. Bree was not planning to attend, but with the possibility that Melanie's killer is still free, she decides to return to make sure that her murder is being investigated fully.

What follows is not only a whodunit, but an unflinching look at a mother-daughter relationship that isn't picture perfect. Bree thinks that they never fully connected, and she feels horribly guilty about that. She remembers when Melanie was colicky as an infant and had a difficult time as a toddler. Her adolescent years were equally problematic, and Melanie never confided in her mother the way that Bree would have wished.

When Logan shows up unexpectedly at Bree's home, he tells her that the serial killer confessed on his deathbed to two additional homicides and told the authorities where to find the bodies. The man also stated that he did not kill Melanie. While Bree wants to think he's lying, when she flies back, the police show her that the murder differed in a few subtle but important ways from those of the other young girls.

What ensues is everything one would hope for in a murder mystery. There is a plethora of suspects, some of whom seem more likely than others. We are kept guessing about what a motive could be, but White slowly reveals details that Bree and Logan couldn't have known --- relationships Melanie had that she necessarily kept in the dark, hidden away from friends and college authorities.

Bree is also desperate to uncover more of what Melanie had written. She is hoping against hope that she will find something to satisfy her need to be redeemed as a mother, knowing that her love for Melanie was returned. She wonders why one of Melanie's professors would not be helpful and even appears to stymie her desire to find her daughter’s poetry and short stories. There are many suspicious characters because we know that those who seem uninvolved might be connected in ways we have not seen yet.

White's brilliant unfolding of the plot, her deft delivery of the clues, and her ability to make Bree a character we deeply empathize with all serve to make I CAME BACK FOR YOU a quick and extremely satisfying read. We can't believe that the answer to who killed Melanie isn't more straightforward, and we want a resolution.

In addition to the mystery and Bree's feelings of inadequacy as a mother, there is the question of guilt. Did Bree's actions in trying to get justice for her daughter's murder cause the death of another person? Plus, the partial setting in peaceful Uruguay, where White actually lives for half the year, is compellingly drawn and certainly will make many readers want to visit there.