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.
