Survival
of the Fittest (Romantic Psychological Thriller): Do you have the will to
survive?
By C.L.
Clark
Publisher: C.L. Clark
Published: Sept.
14, 2014
ASIN: B00NKYJ996
Amazon Synopsis:
"Love and Hate
- A Thriller"
A story of
one man’s descent into madness, the woman he wants to destroy, and the cop that
saves her life as well as her heart!
One tragic
childhood night, Gillian lost her father and her sight in a horrific accident.
Blind and bereft, she was forced to endure the suffocating control of her
over-protective mother until the day she was old enough to break free. With
Garrett, her beloved Seeing Eye dog, at her side, Gillian made a simple, yet
independent life for herself in a California coastal town. Strong of faith,
lighthearted, and graceful, Gillian has never had reason to fear anything . . .
until now.
A madman
bent on ridding the world of "defects" has set his sights on Gillian.
As he begins his horrific game of cat and mouse, each act of terror meant to
break Gillian down, he must struggle with his own inner demons to hold himself
together. Destroying Gillian may be the only way he can gain salvation . . . or
at least lie to himself that he isn't falling apart and becoming a defect
himself.
Rye, the
homicide detective assigned to the case, wants nothing more than to catch the
crazed killer who targets the handicapped. That was until he met the latest
victim. Falling in love was never part of the plan. Now he must protect the
only woman who ever captured his heart and stop the killer bent on her
destruction, before it’s too late.
˃˃˃ In a game
of cat and mouse, it can take all you've got to not be the mouse
Book Links
My Thoughts:
Gillian Parker is
the target of a crazed killer who believes that “defects” should not be allowed
to live. In his first attack, he merely terrorizes her by breaking into her
apartment and rearranging her furniture so that when she returns from her walk
to the beach with Garrett her guide dog she is totally confused by the
arrangement of her belongings, knowing that someone has been in her apartment.
Rye Bryant is the
detective assigned to the case and despite department protocol is immediately
attracted to Gillian and asks her out to dinner after only a few days on the
case.
Alex, the psychopath
was once a gentle loving boy with a kind heart and a love for creatures whether
they were disabled or not. His father however, beat that out of him, literally,
instilling in him the concept that it is the survival of the fittest and
animals with defects must be put down.
The third person
point of view moves between Gillian and Alex so we have an awareness of what
each is doing throughout the novel. We have the ability to see Alex’ state of
mind and how it changed and developed while the characters do not.
We see Gillian and
Rye’s characters and romance develop through the novel as they interact with
one another and tell each other their life story. It takes a lot for Gillian to
be comfortable enough with Rye to discuss her past. I felt that this book was
more of a romantic suspense than a psychological thriller.
The twists and turns
in the story brought additional mayhem to the residents of the town and almost
killed Gillian before Alex wanted her dead. Ultimately, no one can answer the
question of why Alex felt so much hatred toward this one particular person
(Gillian) over all the other “defects” that he killed.
I liked seeing the
change in Gillian’s relationship with her mother from what she described in the
past to what it is now that she is an adult. Whether that was a result of
Gillian’s perspective or of her mother’s mellowing is left to the imagination.
I also liked that
the author has done some research into how blind people handle some of their
life skills such as how to label their clothes and locate items at a table
setting. The only thing the author missed is that blind or not it is
appropriate to use the word look or see even if the blind person is using their
hands to do so since the hands are performing the tasks of the eyes.
I very much enjoyed Survival of the Fittest. It is a book
that holds your attention and keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen
next. I would recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers and
romantic suspense. I gave it 4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the
author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest
review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
I am a voracious reader - so much so that I usually have more
than one book going at any given time. Plus, I have the tendency to go back and
re-read books that I enjoyed so much the first time. Honestly, can any true
bibliophile not, at least on occasion, feel that pull to re-visit an old
friend, even if it means popping back into the same part of their life they
previously explored? Yes, I have also spent inordinate amounts of time
pondering the possible outcomes or future dealings that my favorite characters
might have continued past the pages where I first met them. With that in mind,
how could I have not become a writer? In fact, I have been writing for as long
as I can remember - poems, uplifting notes, a play or two, newspaper articles,
short stories, novellas, and now novels. Some things have been well received
and others not so much (just ask my children how they feel about the various
"uplifting notes" I leave around the house for them). With regard to actual biographical information, well, I am one of 2.3 kids who grew up on a cul-de-sac in a house without a picket fence, but plenty of animals. I moved all over the country and beyond after graduating high school, meeting all manner of people in all sorts of places. I enjoy music, scrapbooking, and making the occasional comfort food, along with my constant reading. I tend to the Twilight Zone way of thinking and the "What's your fear? Let me write about that" kind of style. Although I like to explore the dark depths of the human psyche, I am generally a happy and pleasant sort of gal.
Author Links
Other books by C.L. Clark
Opening the Veil: http://amzn.com/
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