Review: I See You

'I See You' is a melange of contemporary romance, suspense and mystery. This combination seems to be becoming increasingly popular, although I think it is hard to please both romance and mystery fans at the same time.

Dia Courvant, tragically widowed when her paramedic husband was killed in a traffic accident, has continued the work to which they were both passionately attached. Her life now completely revolves around her close-knit group of co-workers. They spend all their time responding to calls for an ambulance and getting the hours they need to maintain their certification as rescue divers.

Dia has begun to get anonymous gifts and messages. Maybe a former patient is grateful for her work...but if so, why are the gifts and messages anonymous?

At the same time, Detective Brig Hafferty is hunting for evidence that some of the biggest traffic accidents Dia's ambulance is dispatched to are not accidents.

The plot is clever - almost too clever, as the solution is rather improbable. Dia herself is a dynamic and appealing heroine. But the book does not flow smoothly. There are passages that seem to be pieces of social commentary dropped into the middle of a piece of fiction. This is most obvious when Dia strongly opposes the suggestion that she refuse to change her lifestyle because to do so would be to let the stalker win. This is hardly the position one would expect from a character who has been set up as an adrenaline junkie, who likes nothing better than racing into danger! And it is the danger of her job that excites her, not the healing aspects. She despises some of her patients and never bothers to find out - not even in the newspapers after some particularly dramatic rescue - what happens to any of them.

The plot is clever and some of the descriptive passages are well- done, but I found this to be a rather disappointing novel. The inconsistent characterization and the digressions into exposition of a rather simplistic worldview distract from the story.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM

Book Review: I See You