Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton

First Sentence:  ‘This woman – Jessica Lane – should have died. …”

      

Jessica Lane surprises her sister, a Carmelite nun, with a hot air balloon ride for her birthday.  While looking down, the balloon passengers see a man commit murder. Unfortunately, he also sees them, and a woman taking pictures with her cell phone and causes the balloon to crash killing all but one.  Alone and on the run, she is just trying to survive and find help.

      

This is going to be a short-ish review.  Not because the book isn’t good, but because it is so good one doesn’t want to say too much, but would rather other people read it for themselves. 

When Bolton is on mark, she is such a pleasure to read, and she is truly there with this book. 

      

What begins with lovely descriptions quickly turns into a horrific experience.  Bolton is very good at conveying terror and the emotions of the events, but she is equally at offsetting the grim with some excellent humor. 

      

Knowing the villain from the start adds to the sense of menace.  That the danger builds continually throughout the entire book keeps one glued to the story.  Yes, there are scenes that are difficult to read.  However, the story is so fast-paced, one isn’t about to stop. 

      

The protagonist is a fascinating character.  She’s strong and resourceful.  One of the best characters is Sister Belinda.  Who doesn’t love a nun who addicted to police dramas?

      

Bolton’s plotting is what truly wins the day.  Talk about a book full of twists and turns.  With each chapter or so, one learns more, yet still isn’t quite certain where the story is going. What one finds is that it is well worth going along for the ride as the story takes one places that can’t be anticipated.

      

“Dead Woman Walking” is a remarkable, “WOW!” of a book.  It is non-stop action filled with suspense, twists, and surprises to the very last page.

DEAD WOMAN WALKING (Susp-Jessica-Scotland-Contemp) – VG+

      Bolton, Sharon – Standalone

      Minotaur Books – Aug 2017