This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I just love a well written mystery that keeps me guessing. This book grabbed my attention from the very first page and I found myself reading "just one more chapter" until I had had finished the book. I didn't even realize that this was the second book in the series until I was almost done with the book. To be honest, I don't think that I would have ever known if it wasn't on Goodreads because there was never a moment in the book where I felt like I was missing something.

This isn't one of those mysteries where the reader wonders who committed the crime. The criminal is apparent from the very beginning of the book. The question is how are they going to catch him and just how many crimes has he committed. The story is told from several points of view but the largest portion of the book is told from Reeve's point of view. Reeve was kidnapped as a preteen and spend four years of her life in captivity. She is moving on with her live until she learns that man who put her through hell has just escaped from his psychiatric unit where he was a prisoner. Reeve knows this criminal probably better than anyone so she decides to do what she can to help capture him.

The character in this book were varied. The parts of the story that were told from Flint's point of view were rather disturbing. Flint wasn't the only unpleasant character in this story. His mother was equally horrible. I even disliked Agent Blakenship for most of the story. While I wouldn't want to make friends with these individuals, their characters really added a lot to the story and gave me someone to root against. There were some very likeable characters in this book as well. Reeve is a survivor who doesn't give up easily. Milo Bender is probably my favorite character in the book because he is truly a nice guy and a great Agent.

The pacing of the story was very well done. There were enough surprises that I felt compelled to see what would happen next. While I would hope that some of things that happen in this book wouldn't happen in reality, the plot always felt very realistic. You wouldn't want it to happen but it isn't outside the realm of possibilities. I liked the way that the point of view changed in this story. Each point of very was very clear and had its own distinct voice. Each point of view brought an extra layer to the story being told and really had a impact on the overall flow of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to mystery fans. This is the first book by Carla Norton that I have had a chance to read but I will definitely being more in the future. I am really curious about the first book in this series and hope to start on that one very soon.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press - Minotaur via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 

By: Carla Norton
Series: Reeve LeClaire Series
ISBN: 9781250032805
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 6/30/2015
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4 Stars

 

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carla Norton follows up after her riveting The Edge of Normal(Reeve LeClaire, #1) with sequel WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER (Reeve LeClaire #2) a psychological suspense thriller, with a continuation of Reeve after her brutal captivity.

Eleven years later in Seattle, Washington after 12-year-old Reeve LeClaire was kidnapped and held captive for years--an escape from her kidnapper she spent six years trying to rebuild her life, a recovery thanks in large part to her indispensable therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. In the past seven years she has changed her name from Reggie, moved to another state, enrolled in college, and left her past behind, after being tortured by Daryl in his basement for four years.

Presently, we jump to Olshaker Psychiatric Hospital South Turvey, Washington, with Daryl Wayne Flint, Reeve’s abductor who escapes from the Washington State psychiatric hospital where he has been serving his sentence. (he is one evil dude).

In San Francisco, CA Reeve is a survivor. She belongs to a cycle club, and owns her first bike since that ill-fated summer when she was twelve. At the age of twenty-three, Reeve feels her life has as an adult has finally bloomed and this effort marks yet another milestone in her recovery.

When Reeve learns Flint has escaped the psychiatric hospital, clean shaven--after killing a barber and using his clothes as disguise, a thousand thoughts crowd her head and she wonders how this psychopath could have escaped and if he has an accomplice. Her nightmares are now real, and once again she has to relive a tragedy she has worked hard to put behind her.

The FBIs and the authorities have been alerted of his escape; however, will he go into hiding or will he come after Reeve? How do you predict the behavior of the mentally ill? Flint’s fixation on Reeve renders him unlikely to commit violence in an institutional setting, says the reports. Flint’s case had been complicated by the head trauma he suffered in the car crash the night he was apprehended. Could the damage to Flint’s frontal lobe explain the violence?

Reeve and Flint have psychiatrists. Dr. Moody even wrote a book about Flint’s twisted psyche. It scared her to think she and Flint are each were bonded to their psychiatrists. They’ve likely been treated with some of the same drugs. They will be forever linked by their shared pasts. They are two sides of the same crime—captor and captive—a tie that can never be broken. They define each other, and she can still feel him breathing on her skin. Chilling.

Her father, a software consultant her stepmother, Amanda have tried hard to keep Reeve out of the media and spotlight. Will he go to this mothers (a wacko mom), his doctor, Dr. Moody, or come after her? The only person who seems to have any insight into Flint is Reeve. Can she stay safely away while her kidnapper is free to destroy more innocent lives?

When Flint evades capture, baffling authorities and leaving a bloody trail from the psychiatric lock-up to the forests of Washington State, Reeve suddenly realizes that she is the only one who can stop him, putting herself in jeopardy. She feels she has to keep him for harming the next victim.

Reeve, is very untrustworthy; however, the feds may need her to work with them trying to get to the killer. To apprehend Daryl, she reconnects with retired FBI special agent Milo Bender, (loved him) whom she remembers from the time he was assigned to stay with her during Daryl’s trial.

Meanwhile, Daryl, is still obsessed with Reeve, and sets out on his sadist dangerous plan of murder and kidnapping, as the suspense build for a heart-pounding climax.

Norton cleverly develops her characters with precision, getting inside their heads, with a well-written fast-paced action crime thriller with a chilling look at good versus evil. Fans of psychological suspense thrillers with a strong heroine will appreciate this one. A nice set up for the next installment.

I just finished the audiobook of The Edge of Normal, narrated by Christina Delaine, delivering an engrossing debut thriller. Recommend both, and looking forward to the next in the series.

This book was so good that I just could not put it down. I'm still shaking from the adrenaline going through my body right now because I just finished it. Reggie is abducted when she is 12 and held hostage for four years. The only way she escaped was the fact that her captor was wounded while she was in his car trunk in a collision with a drunk driver. Seven years later, her captor escapes and everyone believes he's coming for Reggie.

The majority of this story is the captor trying to abduct other girls, but Reggie keeps showing up. Either on TV or when he's scouting with binoculars. Believe me, this is no monster you want on the loose.

This one definitely had me reading at break neck speed hoping this too smart maniac gets caught.

This was my first book by Carla Norton and it will not be my last. This was definitely an entertaining and heart palpitating book to read. I highly recommend it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this fantastic e-galley!

**Netgalley Copy**

 

So I adored "The Edge of Normal" which was the first novel featuring main protagonist Reeve - survivor of a long term and violent kidnapping when we meet her in book one she sets out to help another victim come to terms with her life after trauma. It was a novel that was full of psychological depth and completely addictive.

Moving onto "What Doesnt Kill Her" then (UK Title "Hunted") Reeve is enjoying a fairly normal life - more centred, not so on the edge, but still haunted by her past. When her kidnapper escapes however she is drawn back into a place she thought she has moved on from, determined to help the investigators track him down, it turns out she has some intriguing insights.

This really is a brilliant book - the characters pop, the action when it comes is fast and furious, the psychological depth is once more pitch perfect allowing a terrific yin/yang between character drama and thriller.

Reeve is brilliant- she is flawed of course, who wouldnt be if they had her experience - but she has definitely learned and developed from the time when she was known as "Edgy Reggie" into an impressive young woman whose bravery is both inspiring and absolutely authentic.

The tale fairly rollicks along at a gorgeous pace, it has a very dark heart and a killer who makes you want to hide under the bed. And lets not even talk about his mother...

Admittedly after "The Edge of Normal" I did not expect to meet Reeve again - now Carla Norton has given us a continuation of her story it feels absolutely right, this novel too has set things up so we can keep following along with her and this makes me inordinately pleased. In fact I simply MUST know what is next for Reeve and if the series continues at this standard it is fast going to be in my top 5 must read series. Probably already is actually..

Excellent. Really excellent and if you are a fan of Crime fiction and like it to have a dark cutting edge and a character you can truly root for, then the Reeve LeClaire books are definitely for you.

Happy Reading Folks!