If you’ve been waiting for the next book from William Landay after the acclaimed Defending Jacob, here it is. All That Is Mine I Carry with Me is a powerful novel of suspense and family tragedy with deeply flawed and well developed characters, multiple perspectives and writing styles, and the strong twists you expect.

This novel follows the story of a family whose mother and wife disappears one day in the 1970s. We first read from the perspective of an author who has been struggling with writers block and is now working on a manuscript of this tragedy that he witnessed first hand as a family friend. Next, we hear from Miranda- the youngest of the three Larkin children and the first to notice Jane missing.

The novel is written in long, lush chapters but the pace is wonderful. Landay also changes his writing style with the narrator changes, as we later read from dead Jane and then one of the two sons, Jeff, fifteen years later.

As the murder still remains unsolved, we then travel to 2017. The ending is poignant, emotional, and punchy. I love how Landay brought aging and caregiving into this story, making it truly reflective of family tragedy and what it means to live with a trauma over time. 

I couldn’t put this one down. Landay weaves in courtroom and lawyer drama but more from a behind the scenes look than in Defending Jacob. This book is also shorter and more evenly paced. I think this is the character driven thriller everyone should pick up this year.