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Off Pace, Brittain Barclay's first novel, is the story of Meagan MacGuire, a nurse who decides to join the highly competitive world of marketing and servicing pacemakers. Soon after entering her new profession Meagan faces numerous professional hurdles and learns that an alarming number of her professional acquaintances are succumbing to what appear to be fatal "accidents." The serial killer who is systematically removing certain members of this closed community of doctors, nurses, and others involved in implanting pacemakers soon targets Meagan herself. After two near fatal "accidents," Meagan begins to suspect that these deaths are more than accidents and that she herself is the serial killer's next intended victim. Barclay does a good job of illustrating the negative aspects of the "good old boy" system that dominates the world of pacemaker reps and just how difficult it is to break into this closed community. She also does a creditable job of keeping the reader guessing exactly who is responsible for the deaths that are plaguing Meagan's profession. However, Barclay's story suffers from some difficult hurdles for the reader to overcome. One such difficulty is that as a first-time novelist, Barclay tends to overwrite her story. At times it feels as if she is overstating her case, giving too many examples of the cut-throat practices of the pacemaking profession. But this is a forgivable weakness; what is more difficult to forgive is what appears to be a total lack of editing in the book. Though the story has potential, serious problems with grammar and punctuation in addition to mere typos significantly distract the reader from being able to enjoy the story. These errors make reading this novel a bumpy ride indeed. The rhythm of my reading was disturbed at very regular intervals by these errors in spelling, punctuation, and word choice. Barclay has proven that she can construct an engrossing plotline and tell a story that keeps you guessing until the very end. Hopefully as she continues to practice her craft, she will continue to produce more stories for fans of her first novel.
Reviewed by Kim Holloway, January 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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