Shiny Water

Astonishing that a first book could be this good. It's not often I reread the last pages, reluctant to let go of the characters or the story. Salter has managed to create a likeable, believable protagonist and an unjargony, technically accurate tale, that hooks readers from the first page.

Anna Salter has been in the trenches, with all the psychotherapeutic babble and lunacy...yet she shows us that psychotherapy is an art form and that to survive the hard times we need humor and creativity. This is one of the best novels showing what a certain number of us do for a living and the frustrations that we face. She is realistic, funny, extremely educational (I actually learned clinical pointers) and very talented. Wow.

The information given in this book - ie court, councelling small children, the frustrations of defending children in abuse cases, is impresive. As a former social worker, the dialogue rings true and the insights into all these situations are all to often seen by 'people in the business' including the opinion of the public, judges, lawyers, the opposing parents and unfortunately, the pain of the children. The mystery is woven expertly while giving the real sense of working in this difficult field. It could just as easily been written by a working social worker. The 'heroine' does not come across as a bleeding heart, a point that strenthens the whole picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Michael Stone as a character. Anna Salter's perspective of a "tough" lady is given an important and REAL feeling for the true person - a woman who has known heartache through the loss of a child, but continues to put herself in the noble position of helping other children through her work.

Forensic psychologist Michael Stone, a transported Southerner living in Vermont, specializes in cases where someone has been abused, acting as an advocate for the victim. When she is asked by the Guardian Ad Litem of two children to evaluate three year old Adrienne and six year old Andrew in a child custody case to see if the children exhibit any symptoms of sexual abuse, her findings are down right ugly. The father, renowned thoracic surgeon and pillar of society Dr. Nathan Southwork, in Michael's expert opinion is an abuser, a declaration she makes under oath in court. ....... Unfortunately, the mother is deemed mentally incompetent and the judge chooses to ignore Michael's expert testimony by awarding full custody to the father. By the next day, both children are dead and the mother is in jail charged with a double homicide since the bodies were found wearing pajamas tucked neatly in a bed in her home. This places Michael's reputation on the line because the grieving father feels that she misdiagnosed the case. Michael thinks that someone else is using the scenario to hide their own nefarious and perverted deeds. ...... Move over Ms. Cornwell, Anna Salter has arrived with an imaginative story telling ability to take her to the top of the best seller list. Ms. Salter has an uncanny but believable skill to describe the most perverse sociopaths rambling amidst society. SHINY WATER examines the cesspool of civilization, while leaving the reader with hope that as long as people like the protagonist exist, humanity can win over these devious devils. ......Harriet Klausner