LOOK CLOSELY

Author: Laura Caldwell ISBN: 0778321835 6/2005 SUSPENSE Publisher: MIRA

Look Closely. That's all the anonymous letter said, but attorney Hailey Sutter understands the meaning behind the well-chosen words. Someone wants her to investigate what happened to her mother, who died when Hailey was only seven. The death was ruled accidental, but Hailey beings having flashbacks that tell a different story: a pounding at the door...her mother struggling to stand...a man with a gold ring that flashed in the night as he held her mother's lifeless body. Obsessed with uncovering the truth, Hailey can't trust anyone, especially her father, whose secrecy both unnerves and protects her. Desperate to remember that fatal night, she seeks out the brother rand sister who left home after their mother's death. But they have disappeared. It's soon clear to Hailey that the answer is right in front of her-all she has to do is find the courage to look closely....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Although I didn't particularly care for LOOK CLOSELY, I can't say I hated it either.

In fact, it seems Ms. Caldwell's suspense debut is the sort of novel I have neutral feelings about. LOOK CLOSELY isn't a bad novel, it just never reaches its potential.

Let me tell you why.

LOOK CLOSELY is slow, almost insufferably slow. I kept turning pages in the hopes the story would pick up steam. Unfortunately, it never did. This story, for one, lacks the intensity of a really strong suspense. There is little element of surprise, little building of anticipation and almost no sinister undertones.

Secondly, LOOK CLOSELY also drags because of the overwhelming narrative. Written in first person, there is little dialogue to break the monotony. This story is about as bland and meticulous as the narrator, Hailey Sutter. A loner, Hailey has only one passion, her career.

While Hailey worries about making partner in her law firm, she searches for the truth behind her mother's suspicious death 22 years before. Hailey's attention to detail is also slow going.

LOOK CLOSELY is all too often bogged down with detailed descriptions of Hailey's preparations for a legal case. A tactic that adds nothing to this story. In truth, Hailey's legal work distracts from the already shaky mystery.

LOOK CLOSELY is comprised mostly of Hailey's thoughts and impressions. She is given no real depth as a character because the reader is never really given the chance to see what made her tick. She was, basically, an extention of her lawyer father.

Ms. Caldwell did do several nice things in LOOK CLOSELY. The prologue started in third person with Hailey taking over in first person in the opening chapter. Almost immediately into Hailey's narrative, she receives a note saying simply "There is no statue of limitations on murder. Look closely."

A guaranteed attention grabber but, unfortunately, Ms. Caldwell didn't hold my attention.

Hailey's flashbacks to the night her mother died woven into the story were also well-done. However, by the time the truth is revealed at the end of LOOK CLOSELY, I already had a fairly good idea where the plot was heading. Ms. Caldwell gives some subtle clues throughout the story if a reader looks closely.

All in all, LOOK CLOSELY isn't particularly exciting or thrilling. This novel is what I guess could be termed a 'quiet suspense'. Alot of following Hailey around mingled with her impressions but not much intensity.

Debbie Jett