“Absent . . . One from Another” is the second installment in the “Hattiesville Trilogy.” The first part, “The Wedding Party” was published in 2012. “Absent . . .” opens three years after “The Wedding Party” ends with an unanswered question and reveals some disturbing news about the bride. The characters in “Absent . . .” deal with past loves, past hurts, interracial relationships, death, infidelity, illness, and sibling rivalry, and then the story comes to a suspenseful end. Some new characters are introduced, but their lives are entangled in the lives of the characters you already know.