Book Review: Brunonia Barry's "The Map of True Places"

Brunonia Barry's sophomore book, "The Map of True Places," is an alluring summer read.
I was enchanted by her first novel, "The Lace Reader," and was hoping lightning would strike twice and I'd be pulled into another intriguing story. Barry didn't disappoint me.
While "Lace Reader" had more mystical elements, "True Places" is more grounded in psychology, but it's as complex and satisfyingly twisty as the first.
Here, we meet Zee Finch, a Boston therapist with a doozy of a past. Zee's mother, Maureen, killed herself when Zee was 13, and Zee was a witness.
Obviously, she's scarred and the damages are carried with her to the present. Zee has moved on in many ways: She's successful, with a renowned mentor, and she's engaged to marry.
It's not all perfect, though. Zee is haunted by a patient of hers, Lilly Braedon, who commits suicide by leaping off a bridge. To Zee, Lilly isn't just a compelling personality, but Zee sees parallels between Lilly and her mother. Both women were bipolar, and both were consumed by poor relationships with men (to put it mildly).
Zee needs to clear her head so she returns home to Salem for a spell, deciding to visit her father, though they've been estranged for years. Zee arrives home to find out they're even more estranged: Her father's Parkinson's disease is going from bad to worse, and her dad's longtime partner, Melville (yes, her dad's boyfriend -- I told you it was twisty), has been kicked out of the house.
Here we start to see flashes of secondary characters introduced in "The Lace Reader." None of the returning characters have major roles here, but they're nice to see again. It helps reinforce the sense of place, making Barry's Salem more familiar.
As Zee spends more time caring for her father, she grows more distant from her fiance (not that she was at any risk of becoming a Bridezilla any time soon). She meets Hawk, a carpenter/teacher/jack-of-all trades sort, and she begins a relationship with him.
The two have seen each other before, however. Hawk was the witness to Lilly's death (she saw it on the TV news) and Hawk spotted Zee at Lilly's funeral. Zee is hesitant to pursue a relationship because of that, but she keeps pulling him closer and then pushing him away.
I don't want to say more than what I've already revealed, except that eventually more truths come to light surrounding Zee, Lilly and Maureen.
There are some satisfying twists and revelations here, and I definitely enjoyed the surprises Barry offered up. My only complaint would be that some of the connections are too well woven together. A fewer loose ends would have served the story better.
But Barry has left me hoping for a third book. Hopefully in time for next summer.