Monday, March 28, 2016

"Free of Malice" by Liz Lazarus




"But if you had shot him, you would be dealing with a lot more than you are today," she replied. "If you killed or even wounded him, there could have other ramifications, don't you think?" It would have been self defense. He attacked me, remember?" "Yes, I know, and I'm not a legal expert, but I believe if you had shot him when he was leaving, you couldn't claim self defense."......


Based on real life experiences of the author, this psychological legal suspense takes place in Atlanta. Journalist Laura Holland is attacked and terrorized in her home. Although she survives the attempted rape she is traumatized. She seeks the help of a therapist who uses a P.T.S.D. therapy to help her. Something new; called E.D.M.R., (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).  She does so only at her husband's insistence. Laura has the loving support of Chris in fighting the demons haunting her.

The attackers last words were he'd return. Will he? Will Laura remember enough about that night to help the police catch her attacker? Or will someone close to her be suspect? Was it a stranger after all? She suspects any man who resembles her attacker. But is her memory something to be trusted? 

Laura tries from a journalist view to see what would have happened if she had been able to shoot her attacker that night. Would it have been self defense? Maybe not. Laura's therapist, Barbara, also lends a hand with trying to help her piece these questions together, in addition to the therapy. With the help of an attorney, Thomas Bennett, Laura is attempting to put everything together.  Where it goes will surprise you. Thomas helps her step by step as if she'd shot her attacker and what might have happened to her. Laura is writing this because she figures that others are just as in the dark as she has been. Thomas resembles her attacker. She suspects him from their first meeting.Could it be that easy? Is it Thomas?

Haunting, scary, and traumatizing to think that this was a parallel true story to an incident in the authors life.  There is a fine line between self defense and crossing over a line to illegal. Where is that line? So many suspenseful situations that could have gone so many ways. Kept me guessing until the end. I felt that this was a good indication of what could happen to you if you made that choice to fight back, but who wouldn't try? I read this book in one day because it was so enthralling. I wanted to know who did it! It was a fast paced story line, well written characters. Great ending. I prefer loose ends to be tied up when a book ends. I was certainly not disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Mitchell Cove Publishing and Liz Lazarus.


No comments:

Post a Comment