Friday 21 June 2013

Review | Out of the Shadow, J.S. Winn

Out of the ShadowOut of the Shadow by J.S. Winn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads description:

Out of the Shadow tells the story of two women drawn together in the present to uncover a crime from the past. Having survived a rape and her husband's murder, all Becca Rosen wants to do is move on with her life, but how can she when she's being stalked by a psychopath with an attitude---and an agenda. The police are no help because they're convinced, with her history of mental illness, Becca has faked the rape to get away with her husband's murder. On top of that, Becca has begun to have flashbacks and nightmares of childhood abuse, possibly at the hands of the rapist. Not knowing where to turn, and feeling like she might go crazy again, Becca hires Psychologist, Sarah Abrams, to help her unearth who's behind the crimes of the past...and the present. Three men come into Becca's life around the same time. While each of these men has his charms, Becca can't be certain whether any one of them is the real killer. Or could it be someone else? Together Becca and Sarah start on a course of hypnotherapy to discover the abuser's identity. Will their work reveal the real killer before it's too late, or will Becca once again fall prey to this demented criminal?


My Review

Fascinating guessing-game mystery:

A brutal tragedy launches this story into a frightening predator and prey mystery, which gradually uncovers a tale of terrible childhood memories.

Becca Rosen is the victim of a heinous crime, but targeted by the police as the perpetrator, and vilified rather than protected. The key element of the story is Repressed Memory Syndrome, diagrammed by Sarah Abrams throughout a lecture she’s giving, in which she details the abuse and terror that Becca endured.

Complicated by three men – none of whom Becca fully trusts – her life becomes a question of who can she trust and who must she fear. There’s a questionable uncle, a suspicious but attentive new suitor, a control freak mother, an apparently good man whom she leans on for friendship and moral support, and a stalker chasing her through her past and present.

An excellent mystery with a dark element, Out Of The Shadow is well told, detailed, and emotional. Edge of the seat stuff with timely placed red-herrings and the neat twist that…the only person who can really solve this puzzle is the victim herself.

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Book product page Amazon UK

Book product page Amazon US

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