Savage
Lane is another triumphant crime novel by thriller master Jason Starr—this time
dealing satirically with the rot in American suburbia. At the center of most of
the drama is Karen Daily, a teacher and hot divorcee raising her kids and not
necessarily looking for a new partner. Her neighbor and close friend is Mark
Berman, who’s a little too obsessed with spending time with her and considering
their future together. Mark is trapped in an unhappy marriage with Deb, who has
a thing on the side with charismatic recent high school grad Chris.
Everyone
thinks they know what everyone else wants—is anyone ever right about that? In
Mark’s mind, Karen is longing for the day he’ll leave Deb and propose to her.
In public, Deb begs Mark to keep their marriage going and fights with him over
his time with Karen. In private, she lets Chris abuse her and get a little too
attached. When everyone does act on their most intimate feelings, the results
are not what anyone imagines, and leads to absolute ruin for more than one of
our players. Deb and Karen catfight on the floor of the country club, in
plain view of recording cell phones. Chris’s dangerous past is exposed. And
Mark has his dreams and comfortable life shattered, one defeat at a time. Even worse, not
everyone makes it out alive.
Starr
is an expert at putting his characters under inexorable pressure, then letting
them simmer to see what happens. It’s almost humorous how ridiculous it all is
… what people are sure of in their own minds that has nothing to do with
reality. But it’s fun to watch everyone squirm. A wicked, tightly-plotted story
with human characters and more than a few surprises. Recommended.
Rating:
**** stars out of 5
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