Author Chris Mooney

Seeing her act this way reminded him of last summer, when he was teaching Sarah how to swim—only she refused to wear her floaties and she certainly didn't want a helping hand from her father. So Mike let her do it her way and watched, unsurprised, as Sarah sank right to the bottom. No sooner did Mike bring Sarah up for air than she wanted to try it again—on her own. He was so in love with this part of his daughter, her stubborn, almost unbreakable need to fight to do things in her own way that he had to do everything in his power to keep from smiling.

No, Jess's voice warned him. Don't you dare let her go down that hill by herself. What if she falls and hurts herself bad this time? What if she breaks a leg or cracks her head open—Jesus Christ, Michael, look at how small she is. What if—

What if she has fun, Jess? You ever stop and think about that?

Read the full excerpt.

Read the deleted scenes (caution: spoilers).

Atria US hardcover April 2004 ISBN 9780743463782
Pocket US mass-market paperback March 2005 ISBN 9780743463799

The idea for the story came while I was living in Nashua, New Hamsphire. Every day on my way to work and when I was coming home, I'd pass this park with a really steep hill. At the top was this telephone pool with a floodlight so the kids could go sledding after it got dark—which, as anyone who lives in New England knows, can happen as early as 3:30 in the afternoon. One night, during what turned out to be a particularly nasty snowstorm, I was stuck in traffic and watching the kids sledding when a voice popped into my head and said, "Sarah, you go up that hill with Paula, you come down with Paula, understand?" That's all I had. A month later, I was driving into Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, and saw off the road and near a stretch of woods a wooden cross with a girl's pink snow jacket wrapped around it. When I saw that, the whole story came together for me.

(Dutch)

Stunning ... his best book yet and is sure to bring this gifted writer to a much larger audience—exactly what he deserves.
   —David Montgomery, The Chicago Sun-Times

Mooney is a fabulous storyteller. Virtually every character here is a memorable one... [this novel is] simply impossible to put down.
   —Bookreporter.com

Readers will hang around long after bedtime...
   —Richmond Sun Times Dispatch

A harrowing tale with a real emotional punch. It hits you in the stomach from page one, and then squeezes you, tears at you, as you accompany Mike Sullivan on his journey to find the truth.
   —Deadly Pleasures Magazine

An impressive psychological suspense thriller that is the most accomplished book—poignant, neat-handed, and hopeful—in this talented writer's burgeoning career.
   —I Love A Mystery

Remembering Sarah sports a compelling premise enhanced by the presence of an equally compelling, emotionally tortured central character, Mike Sullivan... Successfully combining elements of Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean and Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, the novel examines the bonds and responsibilities of marriage, parenthood and friendship, and the wounds people inflict on one another, both intentionally and unintentionally.
   —Mystery Scene Magazine

A child goes missing and readers are automatically at the edge of their seats. The scenario never fails to jump-start a thriller—but it carries risk. Once hearts are racing, the plot simply has to deliver. In Remembering Sarah, Chris Mooney successfully turns the screw.
   —New York Daily News

Harrowing, gripping, haunting, gut-wrench, beautifully-written, and one of the best—maybe the best—I've read this year.
   —Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author

At the core of this gut-wrenching thriller is something rare: a thoughtful, poignant examination of parental love and parental folly. Chris Mooney has written his finest novel, and that's saying something indeed.
   —Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author

Chris Mooney has taken every parent's worse fear—the disappearance of a child—and used it to create one of the best thrillers of the year. Never exploitative, always gripping, Remembering Sarah is a moving exploration of remembered loss and undying hope that should catapult its author to the forefront of a new generation of thriller writers.
   —John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author

A masterful journey into the dark regions of the heart, with carefully drawn characters, biting dialogue, and a plot that's as smooth and strong as fine liquor. You won't be able to tear yourself away from this gripping, moving, and wildly successful thriller. I loved it. A home run on every level.
   —Larry Brooks, USA Today bestselling author