|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Now here's a nice, creepy little number. It opens with actress Natalie fleeing from Cape Cod. She is certain that she has just seen the man she suspects of strangling her room mate, Jamie, fifteen years ago, when both girls were struggling young actresses. Natalie's memory of the photograph of that man, the photograph that mysteriously disappeared from Jamie's belongings after her murder, remains. Jamie had never told Natalie the fellow's name, only ever referring to him as "Jess," her pet name for him, but Natalie recognises him when he enters her dressing room, and inadvertently addresses him as Jess. Natalie is in the process of obtaining a divorce from Gregg. She feels that she is not the wife Gregg needs for all that they still love each other. Her career comes first, and therefore the divorce must go through. In the event, there is no need for a divorce since someone is waiting for Natalie when she arrives home, and shoots her. A neighbour's housekeeper finds the dying woman, but she is too late to save the actress' life. The case lies dormant for a couple of years until a crook named Jimmy Easton comes forward with a story. He has spent time in gaol and makes no secret of the fact. Despite this, he hopes to be believed when he claims that he met Aldrich in a bar and was commissioned by him to kill his wife, Natalie. He claims that after accepting the job, he changed his mind, as he is not a violent person. Thus he points the finger at Gregg for committing his own crime. The case is handed to Emily Kelly Wallace to prosecute. Her husband was killed in Iraq and, as she is childless, her work seems to consume her utterly. She is the recipient of a stranger's heart, her own having been faulty, but makes no secret of the operation, nor of its success. Emily's boss has been told it is possible a job in Washington could be made available to him, which means that he will not take on the high profile job of prosecuting Aldrich but instead gives it to Emily. Emily is certain that Gregg is guilty and therefore is quite prepared to take on the case and try to put away Aldrich for the crime. Meanwhile, added creepiness is given to the tale because of Emily's neighbour, Zach. He is a murderer and is determined to increase his total by setting up a new victim near his new home. He attempts to con Emily into trusting him and the reader may have one of those moments of yelling “Don't do it!” to someone about to make a possibly fatal error. I found the novel quite interesting. The aspect of memories passed on from a donor heart to a recipient was played down, fortunately, as I would have found that a bit too much. As a courtroom drama, it lacked the "edge" of, say, a Grisham, but the overall concept was intriguing. I didn't think, however, that the eventually uncovered killer was given sufficient motive for his murders, but perhaps the manner of the discovery was such that his motives were deemed unnecessary of explanation. Apart from that minor criticism, the book was, on the whole, a good read.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, May 2009
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
