For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.
After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
The first thing that came to mind when I began reading this book is the initial darkness of Jude’s experience. Frasier doesn’t give Jude’s escape from her kidnapper as background. Oh no, you are put right into the midst of her torture and escape. And, I loved it. I was instantly pulled in and it didn’t take long for me to be a quarter done.
This type of beginning not only puts you in the mind of the main character, but helped me understand a bit about a kidnapped victim. It is disturbing to know that somehow a victim is able to convince themselves that their feelings for their kidnapper is akin to love. It is seen in Jude’s characterization and it is both interesting and heartbreaking. \
The mystery was a pretty easy one to figure out and follow, but I found the mental journey of Jude to be the more important aspect of the book. I wanted her to find her spot in the world again. I wanted the others not to see her as crazy, but to start accepting her. I wanted her to accept herself. There was so much I wanted that I kept reading.
My questions were answered and I’m intrigued enough that I would read more books by Frasier as well as books about Jude. The book was fast paced and mental enough to keep me going and help with the book hangover the previous book rewarded me with.
Casia's Corner 