Even though she has lived in the Sunshine State for nine years, Lisa Unger's characters often end up in places far from it: for instance, Europe.

''I love it there!'' says the author, who appears Saturday at Books & Books in Coral Gables.

This time around, Unger chose to send her heroine to Prague, where the author spent some time after publication of her last novel, Black Out, released in 2008.

Her latest novel, Die for You (Crown, $24), tells the story of happily married New York City fiction writer Isabel Raines, whose husband leaves for work one day and never returns, leaving behind a confused and shocked wife who has to put together the pieces of her once-blissful life.

''She's forced to confront that she's been married to a stranger,'' Unger said.

But Die for You is not all about Isabel. The story is told through the eyes of her husband, Marcus; her sister, Linda; and even the head detective on the case.

With different viewpoints, the story unfolds layer by layer, revealing gasp-worthy details and clues from characters that form a thrilling chase for answers.

And though familial problems run deep through the lives of the characters, Unger is quick to announce the story is fictional.

''My marriage is a very normal, happy one,'' she says.

Q:Where does the darkness of novels like Die for You come from?

A: I don't have a dark past. I live in the light, but I've always had this very dark imagination. Domestic danger fascinates me. It really is something that I guess to be the most frightening thing, to think that possibly the people whom you love and trust the most have the most to hide.

Q:How did you end up in Prague?

A: I was in Prague for five weeks doing a home exchange. The whole home exchange is a very interesting thing. You don't always exactly choose where you go; it's like Internet dating with your house. In our search for a place to go with our first home exchange, we wound up in Prague. It just turned out to be this amazing experience. I was so inspired by . . . the beauty of it. It's an amazingly gorgeous place, but one that has a secret heart. But don't we all have a secret heart? It got me to thinking about that level of human existence.

Q:Secrets seem to be a common thread in your stories. This book is all about the secret lives of your characters and how things are not what they seem. Is this why the story is told from many different perspectives?

A: It's not so much a choice as the way a story naturally evolves. It's Isabel's story, but there's a lot she's not privy to. There's so much about Linda (Isabel's sister) that [Isabel] doesn't know herself. Linda has her own story to tell, too. But it's really Isabel's journey that is the centerpiece of the story.

Q:What's your writing process like?

A: Much of my work sort of flows from a very organic place. That's the weird thing about writing the way I write. I don't have any idea what's going to happen. I certainly don't know what the conclusion is. You don't really know what a book is about until it's done. You often can't see the bigger picture until it's finished. You're so in it with your character, and you're so into the detail of the day-to-day. I feel like plot flows from character. I have to get to know my characters. If you don't know who those people are, you have no idea what they'll do.

Q:Your characters often seem tobe the victims of circumstance. In some of your other novels, one tiny instance throws your main character's life into a tailspin. Why is that?

A: I feel that that's a truth of life. I feel that it's these tiny things upon which our lives pivot. All the little things that Isabel missed that are really the bigger picture. It's these moments that make a difference in the overall course of our lives, no matter what the intention was. It's the little things that really get you.

Q: Most of your novels take place in New York City, but Black Out is the only one set in Florida. Will you write another Florida-based novel soon?

A: I was in New York City for 13 years. It's the place that I know best. I know everything about it. If I close my eyes, I can hear it. Feel it. Smell it. But I can feel Florida sinking into my skin. Florida has a very feral heart; it's a wild place. And I feel that Florida is like so many characters in my book. So I'll work on that!

Andrea Asuaje is a Miami Herald writer.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@