This thriller might parallel the writing popularity for
both Stephen King and James Patterson. If you even remotely enjoy thrillers,
this book should be at the top of your list for this year. The two primary
characters are the married couple: Nick and Amy.
The husband:
Nick is the type who carries the weight of his upbringing
into his marriage which triggers other behaviors in the marriage. His father was real piece of work who appeared
to revile women to a certain degree which of course included his wife (Nick’s
mother). However, this does not warrant or justify behavior in the mind of
another. (Yes, yes, I know that we can be a product of our upbringing but behavior
is a choice, I don’t care who you are.) I
liked him at first but then a motive began to surface tied to the ringing phone
that he would not answer and lied about the source of the call and the many lies
that he admitted making to the police. From there the plot thickened against
him and rightfully so.
The wife:
Amy seems like a perfect girlfriend then wife. In fact,
she was referred to as the “Amazing Amy” and her parents made a fortune using
her life and life situations as a young girl in a series of books. Was she
loved more than the dollar signs she represented and how did this impact Amy,
or did it? You can decide for
yourself.
Amy says that she does not want, need, desire, or respect
a “dancing monkey” which is a term that I learned in this book. You could have
fooled me as the story develops. For
some reason, I was not a fan of her from the beginning but the real person
behind the persona came as quite a shock to me as the story developed. She does
have a brilliant calculating mind which looking back seemed always lurking under
the surface. The groundwork she lays out, years in the making will blow you
away.
It was almost too late when thankfully the lights went
off for certain law enforcement personnel that all things may not be as air-tight
as originally thought. With a guaranteed
conviction looming, it was time to do some calculating of their own. The attorney brought something to the story
as well but alas, I cannot even recall his name to mention here.
For me the end was as much a surprise as the story. My feelings of right and wrong with justice rightly
served really came into question here. However, the real “survivor” in this
story must do what is right for another and sacrifice the right to a new life. The legal justice system was not served well but
I can certainly understand and appreciate protecting an innocent at the expense
of the truth and the sacrifice to one’s own personal freedom. .
Life is about choices and some will follow us forever and
we must choose what is right for us tied to the ultimate consequences which
might be mandated on another.
Personally, I will not be attending the movie which is
scheduled for release this year. The book was satisfying yet exhausting enough
without feeling like the air had left the room during many parts which will
play out over the course of the film.
