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Loading... Originby Diana Abu-Jaber
None. So I read this book in a single sitting. While a lot of that was due to the facts that 1) I'm a fast reader and 2) today is Saturday and so I can curl up on the couch without missing work, a certain amount is due to the engaging nature of the plot. (  ) cat-ballou | Apr 2, 2013 |  review Interesting... An unusual premise. As always, Abu-jaber's writing is lush and exquisite. A murder mystery is not what I was expecting based on her other works and is not my favorite genre. But I was intrigued by Lena's story about her past. For some, her past is the vehicle for understanding the murders, but for me, the murders helped me learn about Lena. (  ) Lcwilson45 | Mar 18, 2013 | Brief Description: Lena Dawson is a fingerprint specialist who has an odd gift for communicating almost telepathically with crime scenes. When a series of SIDS deaths strike an odd note within her, Lena feels compelled to look deeper into the cases. However, the more she explores, the more convinced she is that a serial killer of babies is on the loose and, odder yet, the killer seems to have a connection to Lena herself. As Lena investigates her past and the current crimes, she is drawn into the confusing web of her own past, including the stories told to her by her adoptive parents. As she confronts her own origins, Lena learns how the past has followed her into the present. My Thoughts: Although the book description may sound like a straightforward mystery, it is anything but. The book had the strangest and most elusive tone to it. It is like a standard mystery was wrapped inside a cotton blanket and then pushed out through the fibers of the blanket into the book. Lena is aloof and distant from us as readers, and there is an almost dream-like feel to the book. Although I was almost convinced that Lena’s long-held and fantastical origin story about herself was true, Abu-Jaber is giving us cold hard reality but wrapping it up in a strange dream-like texture. This makes for an odd read. To this day, I’m not what to make of this book. It definitely isn’t your standard mystery in tone and feel. If you’re looking for a mystery with a literary and dream-like feel to it, this would be a good choice. ( ) Jenners26 | Feb 28, 2012 | I was very pleasantly surprised by this novel. I had trouble getting into the story at the beginning as I was only able to read in fits and starts. But once I got about 100 pages in I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The lead character, Lena, is wonderfully complex and remains consistent, but somehow progressive, throughout. Her supporting characters are also spectacularly rich and well defined. I found the plot riveting in its strange - but plausible - twists and turns, and by the end my emotions had run the gamut. If you are a fan of murder mysteries - or strong female leads - you will not be disappointed. (  ) lizzybeans11 | Nov 8, 2011 | I highly recommend this atmospheric literary mystery. The fascinating main character, Lena Dawson, is a lab tech in snowy, frigid Syracuse, NY, who has an uncanny ability for intuitive leaps of deduction and an exceptional sense of smell. She's also kind of socially out of step with coworkers and the rest of the world. When multiple SIDS cases start coming into the lab and a distraught mother barges in to beg Lena to help, she starts to think that perhaps something suspicious is going on. And, it may be connected to her own past as a difficult foster child with strange memories of the jungle and apes. The story of her investigation into the babies' deaths and her own origin is riveting; the depiction of the frigid weather adds to the dark, suspenseful mood. I became so involved with Lena's story and wanting the mysteries explained that I couldn't put the book down. Abu Jaber is a great writer. (  )1  amanderson | Jun 13, 2011 | no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
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 Audible.comAn edition of this book was published by Audible.com.
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