Review of Thin Places
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Erin Mowrey
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Review of Thin Places
[Following is a volunteer review of "Thin Places" by Diane Owens Prettyman.]
Thin Places, written by Diane Owens Prettyman, is about a man named Finn who fulfills the dying wish of a death row inmate named Calvery. When Calvery, who claims to be innocent of the accused crime, is scheduled to be executed, he asks Finn to contact his daughter once Finn is released from prison. Although Calvery has not had a close relationship with his daughter, he desperately wants her to know that he was innocent of the crime he was accused of committing. Once Finn is released from prison, he struggles to adjust to civilian life and decides to travel with his ill mother to find Calvery’s daughter, Chloe. Chloe is the captain of a rundown fishing vessel, struggling to make financial ends meet. When Finn and his mother, Lucia, come to town, Chloe thinks they are simply tourists passing through. As Chloe and Finn get to know each other better, they realize they have quite a bit in common and begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. Unbeknownst to her, Chloe enters a dangerous business deal with a man from Calvery’s past to get out of financial debt. As Finn connects the dots of this scheme, he fights to protect Chloe from becoming the victim of a ruthless killer.
I greatly enjoyed the character development as well as their relationships with each other throughout the plot of this book. Both Finn and Chloe had emotional struggles with their parents that contributed to guarded personalities. I especially appreciated the unorthodox elements of Chloe’s character. Even though she was described as beautiful and immediately attracted the attention of Finn, Chloe was also an independent fishing captain; not a typical leading lady like many romantic storylines are shaped around. I found that I was easily intrigued by not just Chloe, but the supporting characters as well. The author’s excellent descriptions of each character throughout their emotional journeys allow the reader to feel connected to the story.
Along with the character and relational development, I also appreciated the plot twists throughout the story. When Finn belatedly realized that Chloe was Calvery’s daughter, it created an interesting dilemma. Finn had to decide how to explain his genuine motives to Chloe and how he was involved with her recently executed father. Another exciting plot twist involved the villain of the story, Duke. I felt that the story gained entertaining momentum when Finn realized who Duke was and how he was connected to both Calvery and Chloe.
Although I enjoyed the character development and plot twists very much, I felt that there were a couple of scenes that seemed too dramatic and unnecessary. For example, before Finn decides to search for Chloe, he is involved in a shark attack with his friend. Neither one of the men was seriously injured, but it seemed like an extreme circumstance that didn’t contribute very much to the overall storyline. Also, I felt that the multiple references to the Twilight series were unnecessary. This story is excellent; it doesn’t need to be in the shadow of an already established book series.
I enjoyed reading Thin Places because the story had suspenseful moments and was full of action. The character development greatly contributed to the flow of the story. I enjoyed the nuances of each character’s backstory as well as their culmination of relationships. The balance of mystery, romance, and adventure made this book a true page-turner. For these reasons, I gave Thin Places 4 out of 4 stars.
I think Thin Places would appeal to both male and female adult readers of all ages. However, the amount of profanity and references to drug use as well as sexual content would make this book inappropriate for immature audiences. This book would particularly appeal to anyone with a preference for crime or mystery novels.
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Thin Places
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thin Places, written by Diane Owens Prettyman, is about a man named Finn who fulfills the dying wish of a death row inmate named Calvery. When Calvery, who claims to be innocent of the accused crime, is scheduled to be executed, he asks Finn to contact his daughter once Finn is released from prison. Although Calvery has not had a close relationship with his daughter, he desperately wants her to know that he was innocent of the crime he was accused of committing. Once Finn is released from prison, he struggles to adjust to civilian life and decides to travel with his ill mother to find Calvery’s daughter, Chloe. Chloe is the captain of a rundown fishing vessel, struggling to make financial ends meet. When Finn and his mother, Lucia, come to town, Chloe thinks they are simply tourists passing through. As Chloe and Finn get to know each other better, they realize they have quite a bit in common and begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. Unbeknownst to her, Chloe enters a dangerous business deal with a man from Calvery’s past to get out of financial debt. As Finn connects the dots of this scheme, he fights to protect Chloe from becoming the victim of a ruthless killer.
I greatly enjoyed the character development as well as their relationships with each other throughout the plot of this book. Both Finn and Chloe had emotional struggles with their parents that contributed to guarded personalities. I especially appreciated the unorthodox elements of Chloe’s character. Even though she was described as beautiful and immediately attracted the attention of Finn, Chloe was also an independent fishing captain; not a typical leading lady like many romantic storylines are shaped around. I found that I was easily intrigued by not just Chloe, but the supporting characters as well. The author’s excellent descriptions of each character throughout their emotional journeys allow the reader to feel connected to the story.
Along with the character and relational development, I also appreciated the plot twists throughout the story. When Finn belatedly realized that Chloe was Calvery’s daughter, it created an interesting dilemma. Finn had to decide how to explain his genuine motives to Chloe and how he was involved with her recently executed father. Another exciting plot twist involved the villain of the story, Duke. I felt that the story gained entertaining momentum when Finn realized who Duke was and how he was connected to both Calvery and Chloe.
Although I enjoyed the character development and plot twists very much, I felt that there were a couple of scenes that seemed too dramatic and unnecessary. For example, before Finn decides to search for Chloe, he is involved in a shark attack with his friend. Neither one of the men was seriously injured, but it seemed like an extreme circumstance that didn’t contribute very much to the overall storyline. Also, I felt that the multiple references to the Twilight series were unnecessary. This story is excellent; it doesn’t need to be in the shadow of an already established book series.
I enjoyed reading Thin Places because the story had suspenseful moments and was full of action. The character development greatly contributed to the flow of the story. I enjoyed the nuances of each character’s backstory as well as their culmination of relationships. The balance of mystery, romance, and adventure made this book a true page-turner. For these reasons, I gave Thin Places 4 out of 4 stars.
I think Thin Places would appeal to both male and female adult readers of all ages. However, the amount of profanity and references to drug use as well as sexual content would make this book inappropriate for immature audiences. This book would particularly appeal to anyone with a preference for crime or mystery novels.
******
Thin Places
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Date Farm by Jack Winnick
