The Edge of Normal
The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton
Series: Reeve LeClaire #1
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published September 10th 2013 by Minotaur Book
In many ways, Reeve LeClaire seems like a typical twenty-something woman: She has her own place in San Francisco, waitresses to pay the bills, and lives a pleasant, structured life. But Reeve is anything but normal. Ten years ago, she was kidnapped and held captive for four years. Her lucky escape made headlines-and since then, she's managed to rebuild her life, thanks in part to her brilliant psychiatrist, Ezra Lerner.
An expert in captivity syndromes, Dr. Lerner asks Reeve to help a young girl, Tilly, who has suffered a similar ordeal. But soon everything Reeve has worked so hard to achieve-independence, anonymity, a normal life-comes crashing down. As she tries to help Tilly, she finds herself involved in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a ruthless predator who always manages to be one step ahead of her. . . and is watching her every move. . .
My thoughts about The Edge of Normal ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"Her name had been out of the headlines so long that he was sure no one was searching for her when he fir the key into the lock for the last time."
Whew! What an intense and edge-of-my-seat story. The Edge of Normal was a quick read for me because I just had to keep going to find out what was going to happen to Reeve and all of the other girls. Reeve has been through a lot and at only 22, she is wise beyond her years. She is such a smart, strong person.
And then there's the evil in the book. So much evil. How can one person be so evil? The author does a great job of creating two such opposite personalities that I came to love and hate. I found myself rooting for Reeve and hoping that the bad guy gets what he deserves, for putting her and the other girls through what he did to them.
The character of Reeve, and the strength that she has, endeared her to me. This book, and her character left such an impression on me that I immediately got book 2 of the series so I can follow up with Reeve's life.
* WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER: 2016 Nancy Pearl Book Award Winner & FAPA Book Award Winner
* THE EDGE OF NORMAL: Thriller Award Finalist & Royal Palm Literary Award Winner
* PERFECT VICTIM: #1 New York Times bestseller
* DISTURBED GROUND: now in ebook format
Carla's first book was a true account of a shocking kidnapping case, and that story fuels her fiction. After covering the trial, Carla wrote PERFECT VICTIM with the prosecutor. It made the reading list for the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit and was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Carla morphs her true crime expertise into fast-paced fiction with an extraordinary heroine: Reeve LeClaire, a 22-year-old survivor of kidnapping and captivity who is introduced in THE EDGE OF NORMAL. Reeve returns in the "high-octane" sequel, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER (titled HUNTED overseas).
Carla also wrote DISTURBED GROUND, the true story of a Sacramento landlady who murdered her tenants and buried them in her garden. Carla covered the nine-murder-count trial, examining psychological issues and explaining forensic evidence.
*"Brilliant!" Ann Rule
Carla earned her MFA degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College in 2009. When not writing books, she's writing hotheaded essays and really bad poetry. You can find her on Goodreads, follow @CarlaJNorton on Twitter, and find Carla Norton: Novelist & True Crime Writer on Facebook. For more, please visit her website: CarlaNorton.com. ~ Amazon
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