"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it." (James Bryce)

Monday, January 7, 2019

SAFE HAVEN (Patricia MacDonald)

You can always count on Patricia MacDonald to deliver a great thriller.  Her novels remind me of Mary Higgins Clark's early work.  I do have to say, though that Dena Russell, MacDonald's main character, does not have particularly good judgment in choosing men. nor does she appear to be overly perceptive to subtle character nuances that could save her a lot of trouble in the long run!  I also have to say that I guessed who the "bad guy" was before page 100 (I admit that I actually then glanced at that last pages to confirm my suspicions), but it didn't ruin the novel for me because there were so many red herrings, suspicious characters, and plot twists that there was no time for boredom!

Dena Russell is expecting a child with her increasingly volatile boyfriend, Brian, a high school crush that turned into an adult affair when she returned to town for a reunion.  She moved back from Chicago to be with Brian after discovering that she was pregnant, but when he becomes violent she reports him to the police and moves out.  Old friends, weirdly uncooperative cops, and suspicious deaths provide an abundance of action in this fast-paced novel.  I always recommend Patricia MacDonald!

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