Last year I listened to the audiobook of ‘Save Me’ by Lisa Scottoline and quite enjoyed it. Both that book and this had a moral issue that was covered but this one really stood out as it also involved an actual crime as well, so there was another dimension to consider.
What I found with this book is that what started out relatively normal, escalated quickly into something much bigger than I could have imagined. This added more length and more complexity to the book, but I had mixed feelings over it. For the most part I really enjoyed the book but in my opinion it got a bit far fetched in the last third or so of the book. I can’t say too much about it without spoilers, but I wish it had taken a path so the ending felt more reflective and thought provoking than it does.
That said, I did enjoy this book generally. The opening chapters really gripped me and reading the though process of Jake, the father was a great insight. Obviously the moral thing to do would be to report the accident straight away and ace the consequences, and I would like to think that is what I would do in Jake’s situation but people make mistakes every day especially when making a split second decision whilst in a panic, and it is plausible that a parent would want to protect their child.
Personally, I didn’t really like either of the parents, especially the mother. I didn’t get her at all. I felt more sympathy for Jake, which is terrible as he covered up a crime. I did absolutely like Ryan though, he seemed the most traumatised and remorseful by the incident and cover-up and getting into his psyche was the best part of the book for me.
As I said I did enjoy this book, I think I over-hyped this book in my mind and that’s probably the main reason why I was disappointed with parts. I am glad I read it and will definitely look out for books by Lisa in the future, but sadly this one left me with mixed feelings.
Published by: Headline
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.
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