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BOOMERANGE
By Lue Christian
Xlibris 1-4010-73719
Trade $18.69It is the summer of 2001 and Samantha Wilson has it all: money, two wonderful sons, a lawyer husband (who is cold to her and the kids and is constantly working), 2 pet swans, a housekeeper, and a wonderful house on an island just outside of Quebec City. Things were a little rocky some time back when she caught her husband having an affair with a younger woman, but they got past that and her husband is on the straight and narrow.
Then her phone rings one morning, it is Damien an ex-lover from her past. Her life comes crashing down on her. Why? Sure it is Damien, but she killed Damien many years ago for raping and abusing her.
With the help of her friend, Dr. Paul, a man she is too stupid to see is good for her; they discover the conspiracy in driving Samantha insane and to her death.
This book had potential to really mess with your mind and develop some brilliant twists at the end (think early DePalma). I was really hoping that Samantha was insane or (although this is a stretch) that Damien was really a ghost, or some other left field theory. But it fell short. In fact, the reader can figure out who is behind the evil plot within the first 75 pages. Actually, Sam figures it out early when Damien uses names and words that Sam knew he would never use. But, to keep the book going, she continues to believe it is Damien and goes through the hysterical anguish.
Which brings me to the biggest weakness to this novel: Samantha. I know that many woman get trapped in relationships with the wrong guy and have too little self-esteem to get out of it, but, Jesus, for a work of fiction in this genre, you would think that Samantha would be a lot stronger, wiser, and skeptical since her last relationship with Damien. The woman left that relationship completely changed, over-coming the monster; did she not get anything out of it: Oh, right, she felt bad about killing the guy who raped her and dropped into years of therapy.
Realistically, murder is extreme and can change a person. Just like rape. Samantha was a victim who took a stand. Then how did she drop back into being pathetic and sticking with Harold who is no catch and continues the kind of abuse she triumphantly escaped (although Harold never hits her, he exhibits his own kind of abuse by being cold and absent from his family; an adulterer disguised as a workaholic). True, most parents stay together for the kids, but in this day and age, single moms are the fashion and they are survivors, a lot stronger than they realize. And in Sam's case, she is loaded with her own money. Plus, the kids didn't seem to like their father anyway.
Also, Samantha is static for the first 3 quarters of the book. When she gets the first phone call from Damien, she goes out on her bike for a ride only to be hit by a car. She is rushed to the hospital and undergoes a slew of tests and treatments, keeping her in the hospital for weeks. How will she solve the mystery she solved so early in the book, but refuses to believe herself? Best friend Doctor Paul is there to do it for her, sneaking around Sam's house and investigating Harold who's is the strongest, logical, and obvious suspect since he has a dead wife who left him money in the past.
Anyhow, the writing is tight and your eye drops down the page as you read. The majority of the characters are second rate caricatures, especially the sidekick cabbie driver who for some reason gets involved, and the standard best friend, Margot, who goes off wildly in exclamation in French.
Like I said in the beginning, I had high hopes for this one. I love stories where people's pasts come up and bite them on the ass. Don't you?
Review by Mike Purfield
Critical Raves for Mike Purfield's "Dirty Boots."
"If you're looking for a good read, something you've never experienced before, then this is the book for you." Paul Kane of Terror Tales.
Rated 3 out of 4 by Unhinged Magazine.
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