Psychological

1st of all, I enjoy Lisa Jackson books immensely. This book (the 3rd in the Northwest series) was a bomb. I don't think it even needed to be written. The 1st book "Deep Freeze" introduced Jenna, Cassie, & Allie & was a great story. This book follows Cassie trying to find missing Allie. Way too much jealousy, immaturity, & egos. The story line jumping around too much & bad family dynamic. Not worth the read ( )

The first two books in the series were very good but this one was not. The plot was slow, and the fact that the two sisters Cassie and Allie dramatically changed their personalities and hated one another and both ended up in psych wards was a little too much (and add in a long lost, unknown adopted sister and it was over the top) ( )

I have read many of Lisa Jackson’s books. However, I have not read any of the books in the West Coast series, so was totally unfamiliar with the characters involved in this story. Cassie and Allie are sisters, with Allie being the younger sister. Their mother is a former Hollywood actress, who has since moved away from the Hollywood glitter and lights. Before moving away, however, she and her daughters were victims of an earlier stalking crime, from which none of the three really recovered. In this story, Allie, a well-known actress, disappears about the same time as her body double, on the set of her current movie, is almost killed in a freak accident. Cassie, who has also been involved in the Hollywood community, is a wanna-be actress who never quite made it and is now working in the community as a writer. Both girls have some big issues with each other and each other’s success or lack thereof, their family and their past, stemming from their earliest days, which they have never managed to put to rest. When Allie disappears, Cassie becomes one of the chief suspects in the disappearance. In addition, questions of how the near fatal accident on the movie set occurred abound, and Cassie is right there, in the middle of it all. Thus, Cassie sets out to solve the mystery of what exactly happened and how to rectify things, and encounters numerous twists and turns as well as stumbling block along the way.

This is an okay read, but it moved way too slowly to suit me. In addition, I really did not like the characters Cassie or her sister Allie. Both came across as immature, not as sane as you might expect, and vindictive. In addition to the story dragging, there was a lot of minutia and drawn out histories and events that could have been shortened. I guess an author today has to write a certain number of pages, as this seems to be a common occurrence. Actually, the stories would be far better, if they were written more concisely, without all the extra fluff or sidetracks that make it more difficult to get through and to enjoy. I think this story has a good plot and a good basic story line. However, I was not happy with the execution of both. As I said, I have read many books by this author, and most of the others I enjoyed. This one will never be a favorite. I found it dragged. I did not like the main characters. I thought there was too much non-essential stuff in the book. If you want to finish up the series or if you like the author, I recommend you read the book. However, remember, the things I did not like about it, as you make your choice about the book. Received this from NetGalley to read and review. ( )

Book Cover:

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented—and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie—and Allie is missing.

My Thoughts:

It was an excellent plot but the multiple viewpoints and the shifting back and forth not only of the characters but the time lines, made it somewhat hard to follow. Cassie was a very complex character and even though you felt sympathy for her she wasn't easy to like. I finally gave up even trying. It did keep the reader in suspense until almost the very last as to who the killer was. For that alone I gave it 3.5 stars. ( )