By: Carla Norton
Series: Reeve LeClaire Series
ISBN: 9781250032805
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 6/30/2015
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reeve LeClaire is a college student, dammit, not Daryl Wayne Flint’s victim. Not anymore—not when Reeve is finally recovering a life of her own after four years of captivity.
Flint is safely locked up in Olshaker Psychiatric Hospital, where he belongs. He is walking the grounds of the forensic unit, performing his strange but apparently harmless rituals. It seems that he is still suffering the effects of the head injury he suffered in the car crash that freed Reeve seven years ago. Post-concussive syndrome, they call it.
For all that Flint seems like a model patient, he has long been planning his next move. When the moment arrives, he gets clean away from the hospital before the alarm even sounds. And Reeve is shocked out of her new life by her worst nightmare: Her kidnapper has escaped. Less than 24 hours later, Flint kills someone from his past--and Reeve's blocked memories jolt back into consciousness. As much as she would like to forget him, she knows this criminal better than anyone else. When Flint evades capture, baffling authorities and leaving a bloody trail from the psychiatric lock-up to the forests of Washington state, Reeve suddenly realizes that she is the only one who can stop him.
Reeve is an irresistibly brave and believable heroine in Carla Norton's heart-stopping new thriller about a young woman who learns to fight back.
About the Author
Is THE EDGE OF NORMAL inspired by true events? Absolutely. When a shocking case first hit headlines, Carla wedged herself between reporters and sketch artists to cover the trial. She later wrote PERFECT VICTIM with the prosecutor. The book made the reading list for the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit and became a #1 New York Times bestseller. THE EDGE OF NORMAL is rooted in that true story. The sequel, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER, is coming 6/30/15. (In the UK, the title is HUNTED.) THE EDGE OF NORMAL was a Thriller Award finalist and a Royal Palm Literary Award winner. The protagonist is a young survivor of kidnapping and captivity. She’s scarred, flawed, and psychologically unbalanced. But ‘Edgy Reggie’ has a hot sense of justice. And when called upon, she’s absolutely fearless. Jeffery Deaver says THE EDGE OF NORMAL is the "perfect blend of literary style, psychological insight and edge-of-the-seat thriller." Chevy Stevens calls it "a heart-pounding thrill ride." Carla also wrote DISTURBED GROUND, a nonfiction thriller about the life and crimes of Dorothea Puente, a white-haired landlady who murdered her tenants. Carla teaches workshops, speaks at conferences, and has appeared on Larry King Live. When she's not writing books, she writes hotheaded essays and really bad poetry. Website Twitter Goodreads
My Review
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Carla Norton follows up after her riveting The Edge of Normal (Reeve LeClaire, #1) with sequel WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER (Reeve LeClaire #2) a psychological suspense thriller, with a continuation of Reeve after her brutal captivity. Eleven years later in Seattle, Washington after 12-year-old Reeve LeClaire was kidnapped and held captive for years--an escape from her kidnapper she spent six years trying to rebuild her life, a recovery thanks in large part to her indispensable therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. In the past seven years she has changed her name from Reggie, moved to another state, enrolled in college, and left her past behind, after being tortured by Daryl in his basement for four years. Presently, we jump to Olshaker Psychiatric Hospital South Turvey, Washington, with Daryl Wayne Flint, Reeve’s abductor who escapes from the Washington State psychiatric hospital where he has been serving his sentence. (he is one evil dude). In San Francisco, CA Reeve is a survivor. She belongs to a cycle club, and owns her first bike since that ill-fated summer when she was twelve. At the age of twenty-three, Reeve feels her life has as an adult has finally bloomed and this effort marks yet another milestone in her recovery. When Reeve learns Flint has escaped the psychiatric hospital, clean shaven--after killing a barber and using his clothes as disguise, a thousand thoughts crowd her head and she wonders how this psychopath could have escaped and if he has an accomplice. Her nightmares are now real, and once again she has to relive a tragedy she has worked hard to put behind her. The FBIs and the authorities have been alerted of his escape; however, will he go into hiding or will he come after Reeve? How do you predict the behavior of the mentally ill? Flint’s fixation on Reeve renders him unlikely to commit violence in an institutional setting, says the reports. Flint’s case had been complicated by the head trauma he suffered in the car crash the night he was apprehended. Could the damage to Flint’s frontal lobe explain the violence? Reeve and Flint have psychiatrists. Dr. Moody even wrote a book about Flint’s twisted psyche. It scared her to think she and Flint are each were bonded to their psychiatrists. They’ve likely been treated with some of the same drugs. They will be forever linked by their shared pasts. They are two sides of the same crime—captor and captive—a tie that can never be broken. They define each other, and she can still feel him breathing on her skin. Chilling. Her father, a software consultant her stepmother, Amanda have tried hard to keep Reeve out of the media and spotlight. Will he go to this mothers (a wacko mom), his doctor, Dr. Moody, or come after her? The only person who seems to have any insight into Flint is Reeve. Can she stay safely away while her kidnapper is free to destroy more innocent lives? When Flint evades capture, baffling authorities and leaving a bloody trail from the psychiatric lock-up to the forests of Washington State, Reeve suddenly realizes that she is the only one who can stop him, putting herself in jeopardy. She feels she has to keep him for harming the next victim. Reeve, is very untrustworthy; however, the feds may need her to work with them trying to get to the killer. To apprehend Daryl, she reconnects with retired FBI special agent Milo Bender, (loved him) whom she remembers from the time he was assigned to stay with her during Daryl’s trial. Meanwhile, Daryl, is still obsessed with Reeve, and sets out on his sadist dangerous plan of murder and kidnapping, as the suspense build for a heart-pounding climax. Norton cleverly develops her characters with precision- getting inside their head, with a well-written fast-paced action crime thriller with a chilling look at good versus evil. Fans of psychological suspense thrillers with a strong heroine will appreciate this one. A nice set up for the next installment. I just finished the audiobook of The Edge of Normal, narrated by Christina Delaine, delivering an engrossing debut thriller. Recommend both, and looking forward to the next in the series.
Review Links:
Series: (Reeve LeClaire Series, #1)
By: Carla Norton
Narrator: Christina Delaine
ASIN: B00EAYU7T6
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: 9/10/2013
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars
