Karen H. (SashaFletch) reviewed Outstanding book in several ways! Two Thumbs Up! on 4/2/2009 + 121 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

An adult daughter of one of our family friends was diagnosed with manic-depression, as it was known then, many years ago, when just out of her teens. Because she refused to take her medication, she ruined her marriage, lost custody of her small son, lost her job and was in huge amounts of debt.... the whole nine yards. Even though society's understanding of this disease has increased over the years, and with this shining example of it right under my nose, I never fully understood it or realized how the severity of it could really ruin one's life.

Well, this book finally gave me that understanding. The book is divided into 2 parts. The first part is written in first person from the heroine's, Holly Klauss' point of view. Before long, the reader realizes she is suffering from an extreme case of bi-polar disease. The reader can literally see inside Holly's twisted, spinning brain with all the thoughts swirling through her head until she literally goes mad. It is like sharing the disease with her and it is altogether fascinating! Her husband and best friend finally come to the realization at the end of part one that Holly needs treatment.

The second part of the book is written in the first person from the point of view of Meg, Holly's saint-like best friend and business partner. As Holly goes through treatment and begins to recover, a dark mystery unfolds that is totally unexpected. Now, instead of being inside Holly's speeding, spiraling, spinning brain, one is caught up in Meg's frenetic rush to catch the killer before it's too late.

I could not put this book down and read it in 3 days. When I finished, I felt like I had spent those 3 days in the fast lane of the freeway being tail-gated at 100mph by a semi. What a great ride!!

I rated this book 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to fully understand the depths to which bi-polar disease can destroy the sufferer and their entire circle of family and friends. I also highly recommend it for anyone just searching for a very, very good read. Two thumbs up!

I had never heard of Nicci French, but you can bet that I'll be reading more of her books after this one!!

Cat Lover

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