She Treads Softly: After She's Gone

Sunday, December 20, 2015

After She's Gone

After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson

Kensington: 12/29/15
eBook review copy, 416 pages
ISBN-13: 9781617734687

After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson is a highly recommended mystery/thriller.

After Cassie Kramer's younger sister Allie followed her to Hollywood, Allie proved to be more talented and driven than Cassie and her fame quickly took hold. Now Allie has disappeared right after her body double is nearly killed on the set of her latest film, Deep Heat, and Cassie, unable to handle the stress, has committed herself to a psychiatric hospital. Cassie was the last known person to talk to Allie and their sibling rivalry is well known. Cassie is a suspect in her sister's disappearance. Both sisters were in the movie; Cassie had a bit part while Allie was the star. Cassie checks herself out of the hospital after a couple days and makes it her mission to find Allie.

The family is no stranger to the problems that can arise with fame and the media coverage that can follow. Their mother is Jenna Hughes, a well-known, beloved former Hollywood actress. Ten years earlier a crazed fan nearly killed Jenna and Cassie. The event scarred Cassie. (Deep Freeze; 2005) Cassie does suffer from periods where she blacks out and loses track of time but is she capable of killing her own sister? Even though Allie can exasperate her and was seemingly after Cassie's husband, Trent, Cassie doesn't believe she could harm her.

It appears that this is going to be a fast paced mystery at the beginning, but even with the frantic maneuverings of the characters, the hectic speed is not coupled with a lot of progress. The plot is complex and the unraveling of the mystery is satisfying, but sometimes the pacing seemed a bit too slow. The character of Cassie is well developed and while you may sympathize with Cassie, you aren't necessarily going to like her for most of the book. (It does get better in the last half.) Allie is totally unsympathetic.

is one of those books that I enjoyed for the most part. It certainly would qualify for an airplane book. You should stay engaged in the story and hold your attention to the end. If I were giving stars it would be a 3.5.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Kensington via Netgalley for review purposes.

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...: This is one I have been curious about. I can't remember if I have ever read anything by Lisa Jackson before. If I did, it was pre-blogging days.; December 20, 2015 at 8:55 PM
Lori L said...: It might be a good idea to start with Deep Freeze. While this one was good, that one seemed to be better.; December 21, 2015 at 5:26 AM

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.