It’s a new month … so it’s time for the next book from the Jack Jordan back catalogue! And this one is Before Her Eyes. One of the things you quickly realise when you start to read Jordan’s books, and that becomes increasingly evident as you read each one is that he doesn’t hold back at all! He’s never going to be gentle so that the reader feels comfortable about … well, just about anything! If it’s comfort you’re looking for, then Jack Jordan isn’t the author for you. If you’re looking for dark, sinister, complex and clever, then you’ve come to the right place!
Blurb:
She can’t see the killer
But the killer can see her…
Naomi Hannah has been blind since birth. Struggling with living in the small, claustrophobic town of Balkerne Heights, Naomi contemplates ending her life. But before she can, Naomi stumbles across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. She senses someone else there at the scene – watching her. Naomi may not be able to see the killer’s face, but she is still the only person who can identify him.
For Naomi, this frightening truth changes everything: she realises that she wants to live, at the very point at which her life is in greatest peril. As the police begin hunting the person responsible and the bodies pile up, Naomi must lie in wait and answer the question that hangs her fate in the balance: why did the killer let her live?
In a town this small, the murderer must be close, perhaps even before her very eyes…
My Review:
Naomi’s blindness and the darkness that surrounds her, coupled with the fact that she lives in a small town, almost makes this seem like a locked-in thriller. The feeling right from the start that the walls are closing in, made me feel smothered, which made this even more of a breathtaking story than I think it’s meant to be!
Since her divorce from Dane, Naomi has been determined to maintain her independence, living with her beloved guide dog, Max. However, the overwhelming sense of everything just being too much has made her feel that life isn’t worth living and she wants to end it all. Until she comes across a murder victim and becomes a target herself. She just doesn’t know who is silently stalking her. All she knows is that she suddenly really wants to live her life and doesn’t want someone else taking it from her.
As is to be expected, small towns are filled with small-minded people, plenty of secrets and newcomers who are kept in the dark, no matter how well-meaning they are, or much they try to dig into the history of the town, and certain people who are clearly hiding things. It’s a convoluted, complicated and tangled web to pick through, and as the body count rises, and the reader attempts to figure out ‘whodunnit’, Naomi wades further and further out of her depth as she is caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse where she’s the very obvious bate.
This is a chilling read. Close your eyes or wear a blindfold and attempt to navigate your way around for just a few minutes of your day and see how you manage. Then imagine how it feels for someone who is permanently blind … and then again, imagine being in that position, knowing that you’re in danger, but not knowing who or where it’s coming from. It’s truly unthinkable, and it’s this that adds the extra unnerving element to this story.
Thank you to Compulsive Readers and Simon and Schuster for this ongoing Blogathon.
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