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Imagine being locked inside your own body, able to hear everything that is going on around you but unable to respond in any way. That's the situation that interior designer Casey Marshall finds herself in after being hit by a car and almost dying. Before the accident, she had a full life with a loving husband, several deep friendships and a well-to-do lifestyle financed by an inheritance. As Casey lies in a coma in the hospital, she is unable to see, speak or move. She only gradually begins to regain cognitive function, which isn't obvious to those around her. The conversations that are conducted around her hospital bed are very revealing. She begins to suspect that the car accident was not an accident after all, but a deliberate attempt on her life. Ultimately, Casey becomes convinced that she is in grave danger. Suspense builds as she determines who is directing the action and then figuring out how to overcome the threats against her life. She is released from the hospital and being cared for at home, which further limits her exposure to others. Because she feels that she is in danger, she is hiding the fact that she is beginning to recover. The narrative moves forward in a very static manner because of the physical impairment of the protagonist. Most of what transpires is revealed through conversations of the people around Casey, interspersed with some memory segments. It isn't until quite late in the book that Casey is even able to see anything, but even then, she doesn't have the ability to get out of bed and run away. The best part of the book is the suspense that is created around Casey's knowing that she is going to be murdered and not being able to communicate that fact to anyone. There is literally nothing that she can do to protect herself. The suspense is somewhat diminished by the clumsy revelation fairly early in the book about the villain. The ultimate showdown dealing with how the death threat is carried out is ludicrous in the extreme. The characterization was flat, and the plotting predictable. I felt as if the book was a made-for-TV-movie script. I was only occasionally involved emotionally and never intellectually. Although the premise of the book was interesting, the execution did not deliver on its promise.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, April 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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