3.0 out of 5 stars -- "We've all got storms inside us, Claire. How we handle them is what counts."
Claire Waters, forensic psychiatrist, is haunted by the past -- when she was a child, her best friend, Amy, was abducted while the two were playing outside Claire's house. The man was never found, and neither was Amy. Now Claire is starting a fellowship, and is determined to learn more about the men who are imprisoned in the psychiatric unit on Riker's Island. Her first patient, Todd Quimby, is up for parole and Claire is to evaluate him. When he opens up to her about his own traumatic and abusive childhood, Claire feels she's made a great start -- until what he says triggers flashbacks to her own memories. It was at this point, with Claire's reaction and behavior in another session, that this thriller began to move into "suspend disbelief" territory. When Quimby is released and within 3 days is suspected of murdering a woman, and then another, the manhunt for the serial killer involves NYPD Detective Nick Lawler -- who has his own secret. Claire and Nick work together (without their superior's permission) to track down Quimby in hopes of stopping his murderous rampage. Not by-the-book "police" work as the investigation proceeds. Lots more dead people. Red herrings, subplots that go nowhere. Incredulous climax and reveal. So why 3 stars -- well it was a medical thriller, and I enjoy dissecting these. The character of Claire was completely stereotypical and she annoyed me -- as dumb as her choices were, I can't imagine how she got through medical school. Nick doesn't fare much better. Their partnership in this case defies reality. Of course they solve it. I read this because I have the second one in the series from NetGalley to review and I like to read series in order. The pacing was fast, felt as it if was a script for a TV show, and it kept me entertained for a couple of hours. I'm interested in seeing if Claire's character develops and I hope that she and Nick don't have a romance. Library book. Bad news, missed downloading the second book, KILL AGAIN, before NetGalley archived it so now need to try to get it from the library :( |
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