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Defective
Therapist Melanie Snow is driving to her office when her Honda is struck by a dark-colored van and sent spinning into a ditch, where it catches fire. The driver never stops. A passerby pulls Melanie from the car just seconds before it explodes. Waking from the coma nine days later, she is devastated to find she is blind. As Melanie struggles to cope with her new reality, life as a blind woman, her fragile state of mind is further threatened by a madman who is stalking and strangling disabled women. The first two victims were mentally challenged and Detective Matt O’Leary, who carries a torch for Melanie, (even though Melanie is engaged to someone else) tells himself she is not the killer’s targeted prey. But then a woman who lost a leg to cancer is murdered, and another physically disabled woman is stalked. Even with a whole town in terror, Melanie refuses to live her life in fear and reopens her practice in the basement of her home. She has a living to earn. And Detective Matt O’Leary must find a way to keep Melanie safe until the monster is caught. But how? Her door is now open to the public and the killer can just walk through anytime he chooses. And he does.
202 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 15, 2015
3.5 - 4 stars. Review to come....
August 18, 2024
This story had a surprising ending g for me.
It kept me interested from beginning to end.
It kept me interested from beginning to end.
May 10, 2014
This book bills itself as a "novella," but, at 202 pages, I think it qualifies as a novel. At any rate, it is most definitely a book that gripped me until I was finished.
We begin this story with Melanie Snow waking up from a five-day coma, caused by a hit-and-run accident that left her mostly blind. Enter detective Matt O'Leary, who works for the Evansdale Police Department. Melanie, a therapist, had helped him through a rough patch when he worked a previous case. He is tasked with the hit-and-run that has left Melanie blind.
In the meantime, a couple of murders have occurred in the normally quiet town. The first, which happened prior to the book's beginning, was a young girl with Down's syndrome. The current case was a woman named Dora who regularly sat outside Jake's Hav-a-Snack, playing her accordion for the coins and bills that people would drop into the case. She was "mentally challenged." Both women had been placed in a "death pose," with hands crossed over their chests.
Very shortly after that, we meet the killer, but only by his assumed name, as he calls himself The Eraser. We find out, eventually, that he believes he is doing "the Lord's work," but what is really happening, is he is trying to erase a memory, which we don't fully comprehend until later in the book. The Eraser, it seems, is targeting "defective" women.
I've read enough books of this type to know what is coming. Melanie Snow, the therapist, is now "defective." It doesn't take long to figure out that she will become a target of The Eraser. However, that knowledge in no way affected my enjoyment of the book. Joan Hall Hovey has crafted a great novel that kept me interested and entertained all the way through. The ending was exciting and gripping, and left me satisfied and wanting to look for more of her work.
I read this in Kindle format, but it is also available in paperback.
We begin this story with Melanie Snow waking up from a five-day coma, caused by a hit-and-run accident that left her mostly blind. Enter detective Matt O'Leary, who works for the Evansdale Police Department. Melanie, a therapist, had helped him through a rough patch when he worked a previous case. He is tasked with the hit-and-run that has left Melanie blind.
In the meantime, a couple of murders have occurred in the normally quiet town. The first, which happened prior to the book's beginning, was a young girl with Down's syndrome. The current case was a woman named Dora who regularly sat outside Jake's Hav-a-Snack, playing her accordion for the coins and bills that people would drop into the case. She was "mentally challenged." Both women had been placed in a "death pose," with hands crossed over their chests.
Very shortly after that, we meet the killer, but only by his assumed name, as he calls himself The Eraser. We find out, eventually, that he believes he is doing "the Lord's work," but what is really happening, is he is trying to erase a memory, which we don't fully comprehend until later in the book. The Eraser, it seems, is targeting "defective" women.
I've read enough books of this type to know what is coming. Melanie Snow, the therapist, is now "defective." It doesn't take long to figure out that she will become a target of The Eraser. However, that knowledge in no way affected my enjoyment of the book. Joan Hall Hovey has crafted a great novel that kept me interested and entertained all the way through. The ending was exciting and gripping, and left me satisfied and wanting to look for more of her work.
I read this in Kindle format, but it is also available in paperback.
July 19, 2013
For me, a good mystery is always a treat, and this book did not disappoint. I would call it the perfect mystery for a number of reasons. The story is relatively short--you can quite easily read it in a day or a weekend. The content is emotionally involving, and in the end, justice is served. I write this due to the fact that there is an increasing number of mysteries that end their story realistically, and there is nothing more irritating in a mystery novel than an unresolved ending. The writing style is polished and enthralling. I appreciated the fact that the author added no superfluous violence. In other words, I never turned my eyes away in disgust nor felt my stomach lurching in protest.
I applaud the author for not including any sexual encounters nor overuse of profanity. There is some mild profanity, but it was no more than what one might find in an Agatha Christie novel. In the short span of this tale, the author was able to construct characters that were three-dimensional, and the mystery kept me on edge until almost the last page. Yes, some of the story was predictable, but why else do you read a mystery? There were some unexpected deviations to keep you on your toes, but it was well worth my time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who relishes a superb mystery. I may not be able to call this a "cozy mystery," but I would certainly say that it is close. I'll let others make that determination. No matter--if you're looking for a quick read, this book is for you!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
I applaud the author for not including any sexual encounters nor overuse of profanity. There is some mild profanity, but it was no more than what one might find in an Agatha Christie novel. In the short span of this tale, the author was able to construct characters that were three-dimensional, and the mystery kept me on edge until almost the last page. Yes, some of the story was predictable, but why else do you read a mystery? There were some unexpected deviations to keep you on your toes, but it was well worth my time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who relishes a superb mystery. I may not be able to call this a "cozy mystery," but I would certainly say that it is close. I'll let others make that determination. No matter--if you're looking for a quick read, this book is for you!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
August 28, 2013
Defective is another winner from Joan Hall Hovey, one of my all-time favorite authors. Her style is smooth and easy to read, and as always, the woman in peril is incredibly likeable and real.
Melanie, a psychologist who's been in a terrible accident and turned nearly completely blind, tries to live her life as best she can, although her weakling fiance gives up on her. (hated that guy!)
Strong and absolutely wonderful, this woman puts her life back in spite of the odds. She's not prepared, however, for the psychopathic serial killer who stalks her.
The killer -- a truly frightening man -- is after victims who happened to be handicapped. Such a terrible premise, as if these poor people don't have enough to deal with! As the body count rises, the local police tear their hair out trying to solve the crime before another woman is hurt.
Loved the last scene where (I won't spoil the plot) the would-be victim fights back. I was cheering for her!!
Thank you, Ms. Hovey, for another amazing armchair adventure!
Melanie, a psychologist who's been in a terrible accident and turned nearly completely blind, tries to live her life as best she can, although her weakling fiance gives up on her. (hated that guy!)
Strong and absolutely wonderful, this woman puts her life back in spite of the odds. She's not prepared, however, for the psychopathic serial killer who stalks her.
The killer -- a truly frightening man -- is after victims who happened to be handicapped. Such a terrible premise, as if these poor people don't have enough to deal with! As the body count rises, the local police tear their hair out trying to solve the crime before another woman is hurt.
Loved the last scene where (I won't spoil the plot) the would-be victim fights back. I was cheering for her!!
Thank you, Ms. Hovey, for another amazing armchair adventure!
February 4, 2014
A fast paced little thriller that is quick to read. The heroine is a therapist which makes for more complex thought processes which most readers will appreciate. The serial killer was a serial killer and that's always kind of boring, but the author pulled it off. It's a fast entertaining read.
June 12, 2014
Great suspense! A few grammatical errors, an editor needs to recheck, but it was a quick little suspense thriller!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews