MRS. JOHN DOE

4 stars out of 5

This book had me hooked from the minute I learned that lead character Nora Baron teaches acting at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. That's where our son earned a master's degree (in applied mathematics, and I hasten to add he didn't get that talent from me), so it was instant rapport. Alas, none of the action here took place on that beautiful but traffic-challenged island (well, at least on the Long Island Expressway), although Nora's previous on-stage and teaching experience does indeed play a major role. 

Happily, I remained interested throughout the many twists, although I will say I guessed fairly early on the identity of at least one baddie as well as a couple of other plot details that were revealed as the ending neared. Finding out whether I was right or wrong - plus an interesting plot - kept me reading as often as my free time would allow (and for the record, my guesses were right). It's a solid, well-written story, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for granting me the opportunity to read and review it in exchange for a review.

The story begins as Nora is notified that her husband Jeff has been killed in an auto accident in England, where he'd gone on a business trip. Immediately thereafter, she flies to London to identify the body and claim the remains, and as she leaves the morgue, she's mugged by a man intent on stealing her purse. Shaken, she returns to her hotel only to get a strange message she interprets as an instruction to head for France. She goes there on the run, and from that point on, she stays on the run till the very end - trying to get to the truth while avoiding getting arrested or killed.  

As I turned the pages, I was somehow reminded of the Carol Higgins Clark Regan Reilly series, which, BTW, I love. I'm not sure why that comparison came to mind, except that this is my idea of great vacation reading; at just 276 pages, it flies by in no time and left me, at least, happy I'd taken the time to read it.

Mrs. John Doe by Tom Savage (Alibi, October 2015); 276 pp.