A cut above other, more by-the-numbers thrillers.
In DeBernardo’s first thriller, a psychologist works with the police to thwart a serial killer who may be stalking her.
It’s been two years since the brutal murder of Dr. Sara Chioti’s partner, the star country singer Anna Belle. The doctor is a psychological consultant for the FBI, typically paired with Special Agent Scott Steele. Her latest case, however, can’t distract her from recurring nightmares and her persistent, vibrant memories of Anna. Women are being tortured, killed and left on grotesque display, but it’s the notes the killer leaves behind that are most disturbing—especially as they come to resemble the messages being left for Sara by an unknown antagonist. DeBernardo’s novel highlights the procedural aspect of law enforcement; there are many sequences involving discussions of the ongoing investigation. These are the book’s sturdiest points, as well as the characterization of Sara and Steele; they’re intelligent, meticulous and endlessly fascinating. There’s also an imposing expression of Sara’s love for Anna. A pager code that only Anna knew and a familiar book lead the doctor to believe that perhaps her love is haunting her, or even still alive; incessant reminiscences of Anna are both endearing and heartbreaking. The serial killer, meanwhile, writes letters (appearing as chapters) addressed to “Lovely,” vividly describing his childhood with an abusive mother and his perverse reflections. He has plenty to offer to maintain tension: an M.O. that’s altered as frequently as his victims and a trail of disfigured Barbie dolls left at the cops’ front doors. Sara’s friend Kris is intended as a lighthearted reprieve from the more apprehensive moments, but she sometimes hits a sour note; her hectic behavior—such as concerning herself more with seducing the doctor’s female bodyguard than Sara’s state of mind—occasionally makes her seem more dissonant than funny. The novel is rounded out with lurid descriptions—sidestepping brain matter and pools of blood at the morgue—and a copious amount of people in peril, clever surprises and red herrings.
A cut above other, more by-the-numbers thrillers.Pub Date: June 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1469941141
Page Count: 606
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A short, simple, and sweet tale about two friends and a horse.
A novel tells the story of two spirited girls who set out to save a lame foal in 1952.
Mary, age 12, lacks muscle control of her legs and must use a wheelchair. Her life is constantly interrupted by trips with her widower father to assorted doctors, all of whom have failed to help her. Mary tolerates the treatments, hoping to one day walk unassisted, but her true passion involves horses. Possessing a library filled with horse books, she loves watching and drawing the animals at a neighboring farm. She longs to own one herself. But her father, overprotective due to her disability and his own lingering grief over Mary’s dead mother, makes her keep her distance. Mary befriends Laura, the emotionally neglected daughter of the wealthy neighboring farm owners, and the two share secret buggy rides. Both girls are attracted to Illusion, a beautiful red bay filly on the farm. Mary learns that Illusion is to be put down by a veterinarian because of a lame leg. Horrified, she decides to talk to the barn manager about the horse (“Isn’t it okay for her to live even if she’s not perfect? I think she deserves a chance”). Soon, Mary and Laura attempt to raise money to save Illusion. At the same time, Mary begins to gain control of her legs thanks to water therapy and secret therapeutic riding with Laura. There is indeed a great deal of poignancy in a story of a girl with a disability fighting to defend the intrinsic value of a lame animal. But this book, the first installment of the Dream Horse Adventure Series, would be twice as touching if Mary interacted with Illusion more. In the tale’s opening, she watches the foal from afar, but she actually spends very little time with the filly she tries so hard to protect. This turns out to be a strange development given the degree to which the narrative relies on her devotion. Count (Selah’s Sweet Dream, 2015) draws Mary and Laura in broad but believable strokes, defined mainly by their unrelenting pluckiness in the face of adversity. While the work tackles disability, death, and grief, Mary’s and Laura’s environments are so idyllic and their optimism and perseverance so remarkable that the story retains an aura of uncomplicated gentleness throughout.
A short, simple, and sweet tale about two friends and a horse.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Hastings Creations Group
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Therapeutic, moving verse from a promising new talent.
Keridan’s poetry testifies to the pain of love and loss—and to the possibility of healing in the aftermath.
The literary critic Geoffrey Hartman once wrote that literature—and poetry, in particular—can help us “read the wound” of trauma. That is, it can allow one to express and explain one’s deepest hurts when everyday language fails. Keridan appears to have a similar understanding of poetry. She writes in “Foreword,” the opening work of her debut collection, that “pain frequently uses words as an escape route / (oh, how I know).” Many words—and a great deal of pain—escape in this volume, but the result is healing: “the ending is happy / the beginning was horrific / so let’s start there.” The book, then, tracks the process of recovery in the wake of suffering, and often, this suffering is brought on by romantic relationships gone wrong. An early untitled poem opens, “I die a little / taking pieces of me to feed the fire / that keeps him warm / you don’t notice that it’s a slow death / when you’re disappearing little by little.” The author’s imagery here—of the self fueling the dying fire of love—is simultaneously subtle and wrenching. But the poem’s message, amplified elsewhere in the book, is clear: We go wrong if we destructively give ourselves over to others, and healing comes only when we turn our energies back to our own good. Later poems, therefore, reveal that self-definition often equals strength. The process is painful but salutary; when “you’re left unprotected / surrounded by chaos with nothing you / can depend on / except yourself / and that’s when you gather the pieces / of the life you lost / and use them to build the life you want.” The “life you want” is an elusive goal, and the author knows that the path to self-definition is fraught with peril—but her collection may give strength to those who walk it.
Therapeutic, moving verse from a promising new talent.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-72770-538-6
Page Count: 196
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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