Henricks and Pekkanen weave an excellent story that was able to keep my rapt attention.
Henricks and Pekkanen begin this story with a character we can all relate to. We have a job and we’re doing something, but it’s not quite enough. Maybe it doesn’t pay enough or it isn’t the dream. Whatever it is, we wish we could do something more. So when life offers an opportunity, Jessica jumps at the chance to bring in a little extra money, which could help her family substantially and subdue some of her own guilt. Like any of us would. But suddenly this job opportunity becomes more and more devouring. It consumes Jessica and she just can’t seem to escape it. Jessica finds herself in a dangerous web that could end in her own death.
By creating a situation of extreme tension and throwing in some danger, Henricks and Pekkanen tell a story where we root for Jessica, which is so important to the plot. Despite her past wrongs, we want her to come out on top. Jessica is being used for nothing more than her seeming type. Dr. Shields seems a spider, weaving a trap for a fly. Creating the perfect situation, which she feels she has created once before and can replicate.
Shields is also an interesting character. She is scientific and paranoid. She looks into each tiny detail searching for a crime she knows is in the past. She pushes over and over to create the same painful situation, in which no one wins. So determined to be right, Shields will destroy everything she cares about. Yet, could she possibly think she is doing it all in the name of love?
Another thing the authors do well is the prose. It feels real. Jessica is a young adult with secrets. Shields is a doctor. Each character has their way to speak and they interact flawlessly. You can feel the weight in each word, negotiation, and barter. You can sense the tension. It’s like cat and mouse, who will crack first? What word can be read too far into? Who is overthinking?
This story begins as research and quickly becomes so much more. Henricks and Pekkanen will have you on the edge of your seat, questioning what will come next constantly. Nothing is what is seems.
Henricks and Pekkanen begin this story with a character we can all relate to. We have a job and we’re doing something, but it’s not quite enough. Maybe it doesn’t pay enough or it isn’t the dream. Whatever it is, we wish we could do something more. So when life offers an opportunity, Jessica jumps at the chance to bring in a little extra money, which could help her family substantially and subdue some of her own guilt. Like any of us would. But suddenly this job opportunity becomes more and more devouring. It consumes Jessica and she just can’t seem to escape it. Jessica finds herself in a dangerous web that could end in her own death.
By creating a situation of extreme tension and throwing in some danger, Henricks and Pekkanen tell a story where we root for Jessica, which is so important to the plot. Despite her past wrongs, we want her to come out on top. Jessica is being used for nothing more than her seeming type. Dr. Shields seems a spider, weaving a trap for a fly. Creating the perfect situation, which she feels she has created once before and can replicate.
Shields is also an interesting character. She is scientific and paranoid. She looks into each tiny detail searching for a crime she knows is in the past. She pushes over and over to create the same painful situation, in which no one wins. So determined to be right, Shields will destroy everything she cares about. Yet, could she possibly think she is doing it all in the name of love?
Another thing the authors do well is the prose. It feels real. Jessica is a young adult with secrets. Shields is a doctor. Each character has their way to speak and they interact flawlessly. You can feel the weight in each word, negotiation, and barter. You can sense the tension. It’s like cat and mouse, who will crack first? What word can be read too far into? Who is overthinking?
This story begins as research and quickly becomes so much more. Henricks and Pekkanen will have you on the edge of your seat, questioning what will come next constantly. Nothing is what is seems.