Wendy Corsi Staub has quite a pedigree. She has published nearly 90 novels in her career, in various genres, and has been nominated three times for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her latest effort, LITTLE GIRL LOST, is set in and around New York City and upstate New York, and the action bridges the years between 1968 and 1987.

There are different storylines to follow here, but two significant events that happened back in 1968 drive the story forward. First off, a brutal serial killer tabbed the Brooklyn Butcher, who is actually a man named Oran, is terrorizing families in the Brooklyn area, creeping into their homes as they sleep and murdering them. For some unexplained reason, a teenage daughter from each family is left alive to mourn their tragic losses.

"Staub keeps her readers not only on the edge of their seats, but also somewhat confused as to what is going on.... LITTLE GIRL LOST is a solid suspense novel and, in the more-than-capable hands of this veteran mystery writer, a deftly plotted psychological thriller."

The other incident involves a custodian cleaning up at the church where he is employed. One night, he spots a package left there like a bag of garbage. It is a newborn girl. To a man who comes from a childless marriage where he and his wife have prayed for their own infant, this discovery is a blessing. The couple adopts the girl as their own and decides never to tell her that she is not their own flesh and blood. The ironic twist is that the baby came into this world as the result of a violent act directly linked to the Brooklyn serial killer. They keep their vow not to tell Amelia where she actually came from, and the Brooklyn Butcher is never caught.

Fast forward to 1987. Amelia’s adoptive mother, Bettina, is hospitalized with a serious illness, and her prognosis for recovery is not good. When Bettina succumbs to her illness and passes on, Amelia is made privy to her medical history that indicates she never gave birth to a girl in 1968. The confused and angry Amelia runs from the people she had always called “family,” heading out in search of her real mother and uncovering her own identity. This will lead her to the town of Ithaca in upstate Western New York.

The joint 1987 storyline involves NYPD detective Stockton Barnes, who comes from upper Manhattan and has a large chip on his shoulder. The case in which he and his partner, Stefanie, are engaged is one that was born in the summer of 1968. The surviving females from the four slaughtered families are being targeted. A killer going by the name of Red is slaying them one by one. Stockton is committed to bringing this monster to justice once and for all and making a name for himself. By accomplishing this, he also hopes to put to rest the demons that drive him.

Staub keeps her readers not only on the edge of their seats, but also somewhat confused as to what is going on. We know that Oran is the original culprit, but we are shown cryptic interactions with what seems to be a group of killers who, in their own deluded minds, may have taken on the persona of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ---  a scary proposition, indeed. Nevertheless, it is clear that Red is on a mission, one that will put this murderer directly in the path of Amelia as she is figuring out her own identity up in Ithaca.

LITTLE GIRL LOST is a solid suspense novel and, in the more-than-capable hands of this veteran mystery writer, a deftly plotted psychological thriller. Readers will feel the frustration of characters like Amelia and Stockton while being defied by the killer or killers who represent their opposition. Not all questions are answered in this paperback original, which includes a sneak peek of LITTLE BOY BLUE, a sequel coming in 2019. I look forward to the story’s conclusion at that time.