Jeff Abbott

Blame

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Sphere

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ISBN-10: 0751557315

ISBN-13: 978-0751557312

December 28, 2017

RATING: *****

The pleasure of dipping into the worlds created by of one of your favourite story tellers never grows old. Jeff Abbott is such a writer and his latest publication, Blame, examines trust, family, grief, social loyalty and understanding in a powerful way yet in a manner that is extraordinarily empathetic.

Two years ago, Jane Norton crashed her car on a lonely road, killing her friend David and leaving her with amnesia. At first, everyone was sympathetic. Then they found Jane’s note: I wish we were dead together. From that day the town turned against her but, even now, Jane is filled with questions: why were they on that road? Why was she with David? Did she really want to die? Most of all, she must find out who has just written her an anonymous message: I know what really happened. I know what you don’t remember.

From word one, page one Abbott totally nails the tension such an intriguing synopsis demands. Of course, it helps that the characters he has created are so engaging. Jane is, initially and understandably, a little aloof whereas Perri – the mother of doomed David – is every bit as disturbed as any woman who has been through her travails would be.

It is also the sense of timing – when Abbott delivers what he does and at the pace at which he does so – that makes this novel so engaging. There are moments that it flows like slowly meandering river, then picks up steam and rushes headlong towards the rapids before once more settling back. This is no mean feat, allowing the reader time to pause and absorb creates a rounded, more devilishly manicured  plot and, thereby, a much more polished reading experience.

With more than enough “ooh-ah” moments to keep the most avid of readers happy, Jeff Abbott’s Blame is a masterly story delivered masterfully and is a very enjoyable addition to his growing pantheon of best sellers.

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