Sunday, May 11, 2008

Charley's Webb by Joy Fielding

Charlotte Webb has had an interesting life. Her family is on the odds again and she is stuck picking up the pieces or so it seems. Her career as a journalist is not so glamorous but still warrants an occasional threatening email. She likes writing about things that are controversial. Her children keep her busy and she loves them dearly. She always makes sure that she is there for them even though she never married the fathers. Getting a letter from a woman in jail who wants her story told makes Charley curious. So she decides to meet Jill Rohmer to at least find out the details. The woman had killed three small children and oddly enough Charley had wrote a column about it. She has no idea that it will lead to some nasty things down the line and it might even put her children’s lives on the line.

Ms. Fielding is a fantastic writer who gives the best goose bumps. I have only read one other book of hers but I am so intrigued to pick up the one I have in my ever-growing book pile. She writes characters that question beliefs so much that I even started wondering about mine. Yet the thrill ride you are taken on will leave you almost breathless. She plots things out very well that I was shocked to find out a few things that were talked about in the book.

Charlotte just wanted her family to get along. But since her mom left them when all four children were very young, they are not so forgiving including her father. Now she tries to settle into a life well done except threatening emails shock her. She does her best to keep her children safe. She loves them too much to want anything to happen to them like any mother really. I just felt compelled to follow along with her journey to see what happens.

This is a book full of tough issues and tests the boundaries of truth. I would definitely thing this would make a good book club read. I thought the book was well written and the characters very realistic. People just want to find their place in life and they also want to make money. There is nothing wrong with that it is just how you acquire the money that is often wrong. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is not squeamish. It is not for the faint of heart and the details did get quite gruesome. It is the only way to retell things that happened to truly understand what was going on in the mind of a killer. This is one author that I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next as well as I am planning on reading the other book on my shelf very soon.

Joy Fielding/ Women/ Journalists/ Thriller/ 448 pages/ 4 out of 5

I am working on a review book but hope to get another one of my own in soon!