Hi guys, how are you all doing today? There's not much going on in my world except catching up on some good books. It's raining outside, which makes it a perfect day for getting lost in whichever world I want to travel to right now :) The one I just read, Don't Look Away, was soooo good. I initially got the ARC via Netgalley from the author for an honest review, and immediately bought the book when it came out. Check out what I have to say below.
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Oh my goodness!! Leslie Kelly really knows how to write those dark suspenseful thrillers. I just finished Don't Look Away, and I can't seem to slow down my heart rate. I need to breathe. Throughout the reading of this book, I had to remind myself to take a breath. I anticipated the moves of the killer, and tried to guess who would be next with each turn of the page, and BAM she would flip the script. I started out with a list of possible suspects, but I couldn't narrow it down until the last few pages of the book. Even when I was sure I knew who it was, there were still two choices left. Oh, and the twist that she threw in...didn't really see the ending the way it happened.
I really loved how tough Detective Veronica "Ronnie" Sloan was, and she would have to be to do the sort of work she did. Being a part of that select group of people implanted with the Optical Evidence Program device, really required mental toughness, especially with the investigative style she had. Some of the things she had to endure while trying to solve the case really made me cringe.
I think Special Agent Jeremy Sykes was the perfect foil for Ronnie too. He really kept her on her toes, and he was not afraid to share how he felt. However, he was great at toning it down and getting the job done when needed. Sykes is a believable hero in the sense that he understood what the heroine needed when she needed it. He had a snarkiness to him, but his tender underbelly showed at times throughout the investigation.
Together, Ronnie and Sykes were a formidable force. The trust they had in each other by the end of the book, made their bond that much stronger. The underlying current of the sexual tension between them made their interactions fun to watch as well. I can't wait to see what happens when they both finally admit the depths of their feelings for each other. Right now, the acknowledgment of sexual desire seems to be enough for them. Imagine the change in their relationship when how they feel for each other becomes a more defined thing in their interactions while working on a case. We got a little glimpse of how that could be :)
I loved the development of all the characters, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. Kelly is a master wordsmith who is skilled at creating twists and turns that make you cringe and shake. She used conflict as a means of driving the plot. Some scenes were gruesome, and they scared me. My favorite was the one where both Ronnie and Sykes are at the Tate Scientific Research Center, where they are able to use their devices to investigate the victims' movements, and what happened up to the moment of their deaths. It was as if they were looking death in the face, by becoming the victim. Even writing about this, I catch myself holding my breath, and feel my heart pounding. The scenes Kelly writes make you shake in terror, and they suck you right in, so that when you finally come back to the real world, it takes a moment for you to realize you were reading a book. I love it! Don't Look Away gets five salutes!
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Thanks for stopping by. I am about to get lost in a lighter book. I need something to slow down my heart rate and even out my breathing...whew!!!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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