Land of the Living

March 31, 2003
A horrifying premise catalyzes this fast-paced, suspenseful thriller: A woman wakes up in a darkened room, bound, disoriented, unable to recall the recent past. She is terrorized and abused by a strange man who taunts her with the names of other victims. But for Abbie Devereaux, a 25-year-old Londoner, the nightmare really begins after she escapes. Recovering in a local hospital, she must confront the fact that no one believes her story. Her doctors think it's all a fantasy, "a cry for help." Det. Insp. Jack Cross can't find a crime scene. And when Abbie's well enough to go home, she discovers that her life—her job designing office interiors; her boyfriend, Terry; the flat they shared—has been destroyed, but she hasn't a clue as to how or why. Has she had a breakdown? Is she still in danger from the kidnapper? The bulk of the novel is about Abbie's inventive efforts to reconstruct her life and discover what really happened to her. French (Killing Me Softly) does a good job of making this unlikely scenario believable. But the larger authorial challenge is making Abbie, an average and unambitious young woman who has clearly made some bad choices in her life, into someone resourceful enough to solve the mystery. The book is psychologically astute about terror—Abbie's panic and bewilderment throughout her ordeal are rendered with precision—but her more basic motivations don't always ring true. Still, it's a suspenseful and harrowing tale, occasionally dipping into the truly gruesome, with powerful narrative drive. (May 1)Forecast:With film rights to the novel sold to Warner Bros. and a major advertising campaign (television, print and transit) in the works, this latest offering by Nicci French (pen name for the married writing team of Brits Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) stands a good chance of climbing the charts.

Imagine escaping from an ordeal so heinous you couldn't ever have imagined it and having no one believe you. Add an inability to remember the somewhat unsettled days leading up to being kidnapped, and the disbelief of friends and police makes enough sense that you almost begin to doubt yourself. Anne Flosnik's first-person narration is reflective of Abby's disorientation and frustration as the story begins with her being held in a frightening place with no sense of where she is. She clearly presents the gamut of emotions Abby faces as she tries to recreate her history and ensure a safe future. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine