Now out of a deep coma after being abducted and nearly drowning, Claire Morgan has retrograde amnesia and only recalls her past up to before she came to the Lake of the Ozarks area five years ago. Her lover, psychiatrist Nick Black, has been caring for her in his opulent lakeside hotel and clinic at Cedar Bend Lodge. It's killing him that she doesn't remember their relationship. She's regressed to the woman he first met when she suspected him of murder in one of her cases. Trying not to force her memory and allowing her space is harder than Black ever imagined.

As soon as she's able, Claire is back at work as a Canton County, Missouri, homicide detective with partner and good friend Bud always at her side. Black feels it's too soon, but Claire has always been strong-willed. Within days of being back at work, the horrific murder of the nurse who cared for Claire and became her friend shocks everyone, especially when clues point to Black being the killer. It's obviously a frame, but who would do such a thing?

Black is convinced Thomas Landers, Claire's obsessed stalker, did not drown in the accident that caused her amnesia. Landers was incarcerated in a hospital for the criminally insane when he broke out and abducted Claire. A devious and criminally brilliant serial killer, Landers is a master of disguise, so he could be anyone, anywhere. Convincing Claire she's in danger is not an easy task. Black will do whatever it takes to protect Claire, and it almost costs him his life. Will they be able to locate Landers before he makes good on his promise to again possess Claire? And will she get her memory back?

REMEMBER MURDER, the fifth entry in Linda Ladd's Claire Morgan series, is riveting and compelling in its plot progression and characterization. Returning a villain from an earlier story makes the scenario even more gripping and suspenseful for those who've read the earlier books in this compelling series. I am so glad Ms. Ladd is back with this definitive Claire Morgan psychological thriller.