Doubt (Caroline Auden)

I was more than pleasantly surprised with my Kindle First choice this month. C.E. Tobisman has crafted a thriller deserving a five-star rating.
while I don't want to drop any spoilers, here is an overview of "Doubt":

PLOT -- Excellently contrived, the plot weaves in and out of unexpected places, keeping the reader engaged throughout. The few times I thought I had encountered a FATAL FLAW in the story, Ms. Tobisman would plug the hole and keep my belief at a high level. Even with the twists and turns, as a reader I always felt the action was credible.

CHARACTERS -- The book has a believable main character (Caroline) with plenty of flaws and personal angst. Her battles with self-doubt and the past never descends into whininess; rather, her struggles continue to keep her human as she moves from one challenge to the next. The secondary characters play their parts, fleshed out enough to enable plausible conversations and an even flow to the action.

THE WRITING -- No embarrassing spelling errors, horrible grammar mistakes, or anything to mar this book. Ms. Tobisman presents interesting descriptions and does not allow the writing to get in the way of the story. I was a bit leery at first when there were a few legal terms not explained, but this was not an issue throughout the book. While the initial feeling might be to compare Ms. Tobisman to John Grisham, I may agree that the professionalism of her writing is high, but her breezy tone sets her apart with a voice all her own.

IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW -- Sex scenes are alluded to, but not described. The one incident is a minor part of the story and I commend the author for treating it as such and not embellishing all the details. While there is an occasional f-bomb or crude language, the usage is sparse and not gratuitous. Excessive violence is not an issue, and the author's focus is definitely on using suspense to drive the reader to the next page.

OVERALL -- A fast, enjoyable read. The author does not employ "surprise" twists that come out of nowhere in order to keep the reader in the dark; rather, she plants subtle clues that most of us are going to miss and then allows them to sprout when we least expect them. I think this is one of her strengths, and also one of the reasons I feel comfortable awarding the book all the stars.