Action: 1.0 / Emotion: 0.0 / Romance: 1.0 / Sensuous: 1.0 / Suspense: 3.0 // Laughter: 0 / Tears: 0
Setting: Florence, Alabama
Era: Present Day [2012]
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Having read several books by the incomparable Beverly Barton, there is no doubt that she is quite accomplished at telling a chilling tale that can draw you in and kept you spellbound until you finish the book. So it was not a hardship to turn to her very short story, Poisoned, part of the Love Is Murder Anthology. Would also have to agree with Sandra Brown, the editor of this collection of short stories, who prefaced Barton's work with the words:
What a great hook! How could you read the first sentence and not continue? (Sandra Brown, page 53)
After completing Poisoned, the most obvious thought was, "what an original way to tell a story." Barton quickly drew a bold, yet shadowy, picture of the heroine, Olivia Lynn Warren, struggling though a haze of pain, dizziness, and partial blindness because she was sure that Dalton Carr, the man she saw murder his wife, had somehow poisoned her.
Barton did a wonderful job of keeping a degree of suspense throughout the entire story because as Olivia stumbled through the streets of Florence, Alabama, she could not remember the details that led up to her wandering around a neighborhood she didn't recognize -- running from the man she loved, detective Jed Merrill. As Olivia struggled to find someone to help her, she kept remembering bits and pieces of her life; like, {1} seeing Dalton kill Amber, {2} running from Dalton, {3} meeting Jed, {4} falling in love with Jed.
Although this quick read was entertaining, for some reason this story did not inspire fascination or a high degree of interest in the main characters. Again, because the stories in this book are so short, there is no way an author can develop the characters to such a level that they can worm their way into your heart. This holds true for Jed and Olivia's tale as well. Although the tale is well-told and keeps you wondering about what is going on, it still did not inspire any degree of greatness. It was just a story about the girl next door falling in love with the policeman who rescued her -- without any bells or whistles -- or emotional depth.
Oh well, on to the next one. . .
--Vonda M. Reid (Friday, April 26, 2013 : 7:10 p.m.) [309]
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Jed Merrill | [Hero]: big powerful hands; baritone voice, Bourbon smooth and dripping with Southern charm (56) the man Olivia loved (58) soothing voice; striking blue-gray eyes; Lieutenant with Florence Police Department; investigating Amber's murder (63) good at tracking; good at figuring out what the other guy was going to do; police detective; Olivia's friend, lover, protector (64) kept his promises; man of honor and integrity (66) |
| Olivia Lynn Warren | [Heroine] lived in fear for long time; watched her back; played it safe; afraid to trust (55) Olivia Lynn Warren: lived uneventful, vanilla, white-bread life; good girl from a good family; honor student; graduated magna cum laude; paid her taxes; went to church; obeyed traffic laws; never even got a speeding ticket (60) took self-defense classes (Jed insisted); Jed bought her a small handgun (65) mousy brown hair under blonde dye job (65) |
| . . . | . . . |
| Amber Carr | Dalton's wife; hired Olivia's decorating firm; got along well with Olivia (61) |
| Dalton Carr | in jail; Olivia to testify at his trial; he couldn't allow Olivia to live to testify (58) Amber's husband; wealthy businessman; 25 years older than Amber; multi-millionaire (61) |
| Location / Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| Court Street | block away from café where Olivia was sitting (64) |
| Downtown Interiors | firm where Olivia worked (61) |
| Florence, Alabama | where Olivia lived (59) typical small Southern city (60) |
Notes:
♥ Disclaimer: I Borrowed This Book From The Library
♥ Very Subjective Rating
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