_The Keep_ by Jennifer Egan

I can't remember why I put 'get a book by Jennifer Egan' on my list, but I'm really glad I did. This book is compelling from page one, based on its characters and their intertwined mysteries. It develops an interesting structure, too: just when you dig into the tight single point-of-view of the main character, you get pulled back out into a narrator's point of view... and the narrator has a mystery of his own.

I'd expect a device like that to create unwelcome distance. Nope. It just creates more tension.

The big hook for me was the anticipation around the main character arriving in Europe to meet an estranged cousin whom he'd betrayed as a child. He was in a tight spot, and a jaunt to Europe arrived just in time, but he doesn't know whether he'll be sincerely welcomed by the man he betrayed.

Anyway, read the thing, it's fantastic.