Julia Heaberlin has been a major force in the psychological thriller and mystery fields for years now, but somehow has remained under the radar. I am confident that her latest effort, NIGHT WILL FIND YOU, will remedy that. This powerhouse of a novel is ideal for summertime or anytime and hopefully will receive some much-deserved accolades.

The central character here is 28-year-old psychic Vivvy Bouchet, though she does not care for the “psychic” tag. By trade, she is an astrophysicist working in Texas with a long-term devotion to both science and identifying life throughout the universe. It was a prediction she made as a young girl that set forth her participation in the cold case that is the subject of this story. She saved the life of Mike Romano, a neighbor and classmate, in an amazing way.

"This powerhouse of a novel is ideal for summertime or anytime and hopefully will receive some much-deserved accolades.... NIGHT WILL FIND YOU is a terrific and challenging read in all the best ways."

Mike became a cop and married Vivvy’s older sister, Brig. Vivvy once had a major crush on Mike but could never put him before her love of science and finding out answers to universal questions that have always consumed her. It is when Mike calls her in to assist with an 11-year-old cold case involving a missing girl that her psychic prowess is required once again.

To accomplish this task, Vivvy must partner with Jesse Sharp, an abrasive detective who is not a believer in psychics. When Vivvy tags several case files that Mike puts in front of her with her “feelings,” she writes the word “alive” on the file about Lizzie Solomon. The verdict was that her mother, Nicolette, was guilty of killing her and disposing of the body. Lizzie was allegedly buried in a wall but was never found. Nicolette has been in prison based on circumstantial evidence but has always maintained her innocence.

With Vivvy’s revelation about Lizzie still being alive, Jesse will tolerate her psychic wanderings to help find the now-teenaged girl. Throughout the novel, we are taken back to a time when Vivvy was 10 years old and living with her mother, a locally renowned psychic who regularly did readings and went on various searches. Vivvy has always tried to avoid using her talents in this way and instead remain more existential and practical in her approach to life and the universe. But she knows better than anyone else that you cannot escape your past.

While involved in the newly reopened investigation, Vivvy becomes the target of a viral podcast hosted by Bubba Guns. Bubba is also a skeptic when it comes to psychics and begins an attack against Vivvy that includes using her search for extraterrestrial life against her. She’s eventually a guest on the podcast, which provides one of the best written and engaging scenes in the entire novel. Vivvy is not someone to be trifled with, but Bubba is more intelligent than his fake Texas accent lets on, and he also seems to know more than he should about the Lizzie Solomon case.

There are so many clues and red herrings throughout the book, and readers will feel like an actual psychic who sometimes has difficulty interpreting all the information that is being thrown at them. NIGHT WILL FIND YOU is a terrific and challenging read in all the best ways.