Puppet

Puppet. I must admit - I'm a fan of All Things Legal and was happy to meet twenty-something criminal attorney Amanda Travis in Puppet. This novel pretty much has it all - a great opening that pulls you into a suspenseful plot from the first line. The tone, the setting, the mystery, the complexity of the relationships, and, oh yes, the writing is evocative and potent! On the plane from San Francisco to Philadelphia, I read Puppet and the time passed in a flash. This novel is a good read, really good.

Could not put this book down, after reading Whispers and Lies I had almost given up on joys books. However cannot buy lost as the customer reviews are just too bad to risk it. Puppet is excellent!

I have to admit that this book started out a little slow, but the minute the pace picked up, it never slowed down until the shocking, surprising ending. If you enjoy suspense, you'll love this well-plotted tale of a dysfunctional family full of hidden secrets!

I usually find Joy Fielding's writing to be exceptional. This book did not disappoint! I loved the mix of suspense, sorrow and romance and really liked the chemistry between Ben and Amanda. Joy....keep up the good work and look forward to your next novel!

Amanda Travis has spent the last decade running from her memories including the father who neglected her and the mother who either ignored or verbally abused her. She drowns her emotional pain in mindless sex, leaving two ex-husbands when they threatened to get too close. Now a lawyer in southeast Florida, she has organized her life just the way she wants it, not letting anyone get too close. Her calm is suddenly fractured one night when her ex-husband calls her from Toronto to tell her that her mother in jail on a murder charge. Despite the fact that she tells herself she doesn't care, she flies to Toronto where Ben represents her mother Gwen. Ben tells her that Gwen isn't talking, insisting only that she killed an unknown man in a hotel lobby because she felt like it and she is perfectly sane. Gwen's stonewalling is infuriating Amanda who believes there is a reason for what she did; for once in her life she isn't going to run away from adversity but plunge into it and expose the secret her mother is so desperate to hide. Joy Fielding once again delivers an exciting crime thriller that will keep readers' interest from page one as they wonder why the protagonist's mother committed cold blooded murder. It is a question that will haunt the audience as the protagonist seeks to find out her mom's secrets that were responsible for her traumatized childhood. As Amanda gets close to the truth she finally comes to terms with her own feelings and turns more sympathetic in the minds of the audience. PUPPET is a nail biting suspense thriller taking readers to the ultimate level. Harriet Klausner