Time Release

Jeannie
Brown
Genre: 
Suspense-Thriller

Sara Parkins is a would-be actress trying hard to land a job.  Jason Forrest is a handsome scientist who just moved in down the hall from Sara.  When the sweet old next door neighbor suddenly dies of a heart attack, then another woman Sara knows dies the next day, the coincidences begin to stack up.  Sara asks Jason to help her figure the mystery and together, they begin to uncover a deadly plot far beyond their imaginings.  However, Sara soon begins to suspect Jason isn’t all he claims to be.  Who can she trust and who is really the bad guy?

The storyline in this book is very interesting. Ms. Brown has developed a very unique plot, complete with twists that surprise and a mystery that keeps the reader questioning motives, as well as suspects.  The problem comes in the actual delivery.  The writing is basic to a fault.  Everything is described in very elementary yet lengthy and often unnecessary detail. For example,  “The heels [to shoes] were clear and opaque, depending on the angle in which you looked at them, and the straps were clear with a black border. They crossed low on her foot in an x and once around her heel.” This type of explanation accompanies almost every action.  The story also seems oddly anachronistic.  Sara wears “Charlie” perfume and listens to music on Jason’s cassette tape player.  This sends the reader looking to see if the book was actually published in the 70s!  Nope.   Ultimately, it’s a book with good bones that needs some polishing in the presentation.

Ruth Lynn Ritter