Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Helen Ivers is running from a horrific past to what she hopes will be the safety of a small New England town. As the president of Pittock College, another tragedy explodes into her life soon after her arrival. Besieged by memories of her mentally ill sister, which refuse to let her rest, she must face an abomination even as her mind begins to unravel. A young woman died on the train tracks in a shockingly brutal manner.

Reeling from the murder and the threat to her students, Helen is approached by professor Adair Wilson, who draws her into her life and her confidence amid a web of swirling deception.

Ivers and Wilson are as desperate to know the identities of the victim and killer as the killer and the police are to hide them. Whether Adair is Helen’s savior and can be trusted as a lover becomes increasingly unclear as Helen becomes a target.

In a crisis with no clear allies, Helen must not only learn the truth but fight to stay alive. The killer is watching and she has been chosen. Every hour of doubt, fear, and hopeless investigation brings the bone saw closer.

 

Book Review

Dysphoria is a powerhouse, brilliant, and nerve-wrenching book of mental imbalance and steadfast love set in a remote southwestern corner of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. There is a charming, but haunting, private college as its centerpiece. With my eyes extra wide open and my jaw dropping to my knees, I was completely drawn into the mystery, the intrigue, and the love affair. Be forewarned, there are some really scary folk, some fingernail biting, and some solid hits to one's own sanity. I adored this a great deal!

Dr. Helen Ivers has been through a hair-raising, devastating family loss and tragedy. She is also a brilliant college administrator capable of turning an institution back on its feet and financially healthy for the long run. Additionally, she has one of most intense dark sides I have ever seen that put her at emotional, professional, and psychic risk again and again. I loved her even when she couldn’t love herself.

Professor Adair Wilson is a force of nature. Her theater students love and adore her, she takes stands for issues she feels are being swept under the carpet, and she is intensely attracted to Dr. Ivers with not the best technique to reel Helen in, however. There are some odd, unsettling, and completely well-founded dark areas in her past. She is also extremely wealthy and has a family that will storm the ramparts to protect or save her. She is my hero!

I’m not sure I’m qualified to say this is a ‘masterpiece’, but it certainly felt like one to me. The people, the setting, the issues, the darkness, the depth, and the love were both exhilarating and exhausting. That is the best thing a book can do, from my point of view!

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 280 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	24-January-2013
Price
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