A Secret Rage - Charlaine Harris

A Secret Rage
Charlaine Harris
Berkley Prime Crime

Mystery

Nickie Callahan is a has-been at the ripe old age of 27. That’s the way it goes in the world of New York models. While trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life, she gets a call from her best friend, Mimi. Mimi, who still lives in their hometown of Knolls, TN, is recently divorced. The divorce was quite a surprise, really; one day her husband simply announced that it wasn’t working. Hearing from Mimi makes Nickie realize how homesick she’s been.

The two women decide to move in together in the house Mimi’s grandmother left to her. Nickie will attend college and attempt to get one of her novels published. And they’ll help each other rebuild their lives. But Nickie’s hometown is no longer the safe haven she imaged. There’s a violent serial rapist operating in the area. When the violence hits much too close to home, the victims band together to stop the predator.

A reprint of a very early standalone mystery, this novel is rooted firmly in reality. Readers bothered by rape as subject matter may want to steer clear of this one, as the violence is fairly graphic. Much of the story centers on the victims’ trauma and how they deal with it. The mystery itself is fairly linear, and the characters aren’t quite as complex as in the author’s later work; but it’s still a solid and fast-paced mystery.

Rating: 7
August 2007 (reprint)
ISBN# 978-0-425-21453-4 (paperback)