Customer Reviews

The Deadly Thorn

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Jimmy Oliver seduces, marries, insures and murders his wives. He is the ultimate con man, seducing and romancing before he marries, then changes into a monster afterwards. One of his previous wives who managed to escape him call his present wife, Sally, and tell her to get out while she can. Sally runs, but Jimmy is obsessed with finding her. What follows is a game of cat and mouse in which even the police cannot find Jimmy. Fast paced and extremely haunting, I couldn't put this one down until I had reached the end.

Summary:
Sally wondered how Jimmy could change from a sweet, tender loving and caring person into such a cruel, aggressive man. Before they married, their life together had been perfect; Sally truly thought she was living in 7th heaven. But what could go wrong - did go wrong. From the moment they officially became "man and wife" things turned nasty and the beatings and sick domination games soon followed. Then, as if her luck wasn't bad enough already, she received a phone call, a warning to save herself...

Sally isn't just an average woman; she's a strong woman who will fight for what she believes in. Working with her best friend, Julia, who she trusts implicitly,

they try to oppose Jimmy's reign of terror. Not an easy feat, as Jimmy turns out to be a psychotic, murdering maniac!

Conclusion:
The Deadly Thorn is a novel with lots of suspense and many frightening moments. Throughout all these chilling scenes Betty Sullivan La Pierre manages to give this story an addition romantic touch. I really enjoyed reading this book. I especially like the character Julia because she's so strong and doesn't give in when life gets troublesome -- the essence of a true friend. One who takes friendship very seriously and stands by Sally, supporting her during her weakest moments. Look out for the interesting Detective Williams, a driven man, who does everything in his power to capture Jimmy, with personal motives urging him forward. I love Betty's writing technique. I personally understood Sally's fear, as though I had been transported into the plot and Jimmy was after me! Once you start reading, you won't stop easily. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Reviewed by Annick for Euro-Reviews: http://euroreviews.r8.org

Sally Oliver has just discovered that her husband is not who she thinks he is. A mysterious phone call from a previous wife coupled with a series of savage beatings from her once-adoring husband Jimmy prompt Sally to get out of the house as quickly as possible...but not before she discovers a life insurance policy with her name on it that's scheduled to take effect in just a few days. With her best friend, Julia, by her side Sally is in a race against the clock to find out what happened to Jimmy's other wives before she becomes his latest victim. What they don't know, however, is that Jimmy is behind them every step of the way.

The Deadly Thorn is an excellent read, rarely letting the pace lag for more than a page and keeping the reader enthralled chapter after chapter with her lighting-quick style. Not a word is wasted, and the eye leaps over the occasional grammatical error in its haste to get to the next juicy scene.

Betty Sullivan la Pierre has effectively captured not only the frightening aspects of Jimmy's personality, but also the mindset of the battered wife. While Sally knows she has to get away from her husband, she also admits to having some feelings for him, a common bond shared by abuse survivors.
She manages to create a physically strong, sensible heroine whose emotional frailty makes her more human without turning her into a "damsel in distress." Meanwhile, Jimmy's terrifying ability to elude the authorities and disappear into thin air is enough to make even the most seasoned mystery lover shiver with trepidation.

Unlike many novels of its type, Deadly Thorn does not marginalize its supporting cast. Instead, we are given insight into each character's mind and persona, no matter how minor their role may be. This not only leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction, it also gives us room empathize just a bit with everyone from Tee, the office flirt, to Sally's abusive husband. No black and white areas in her characterization, the players are delightfully rendered in "grayscale," with no one person outshining any other.

To make a long story short--- I thoroughly enjoyed The Deadly Thorn and will not think twice about picking up another of la Pierre's books in the future.

THE DEADLY THORN is one suspenseful, keep-them-pages-turning novel! From the first mysterious phone call to the last pulse-pounding scene, you'll remain in the heat of the action.

Jimmy Oliver is a charming man who woos you with his eyes, and then turns around and sends you roses...with deadly thorns. He'll marry you, insure you, and then kill you.

Sally fell for it, so did Eva and two other women who had married Jimmy. Only Sally and Eva are still alive, and Jimmy doesn't mean for that to remain the status quo.

Together with the help of Sally's friend, Julia, they try to outthink Jimmy, but he's one cunning and sleazy man, and he'll stop at nothing to get Sally back and get rid of Eva permanently because she dared to escape him the first time.

Ms. La Pierre takes you into the world of an abusive man, and the women he hurt. It's not pretty, but women all across the world face this on a daily basis. It's something that needs to be read about, talked about, and stopped.

You'll enjoy THE DEADLY THORN and keep reading just one more page before lights out...just one more page to see if Jimmy gets what he deserves.

I can't get over it. Whether it be a stand alone, such as THE DEADLY THORN, or part of her Hawkman series, Ms La Pierre never ceases to amaze me with her talent.

Jimmy and Sally Oliver had been married just three months, and Sally couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. Before they were married, Jimmy had courted her with roses, and had been so gentle. But after they had said their "I do's" things started to go so wrong. He became totally controlling, and hit her for things that she didn't understand. And it was getting worse. But she still loved him, and thought that things would get better.

That was until she received a phone call from a woman who professed to be Jimmy's third wife. Third wife! Sally didn't even know that there had been one previous wife, much less three of them. It seems, according to the woman who called, that two of the previous wives had both died in "accidents". Accidents in which Jimmy collected rather large insurance proceeds. The "wife" on the phone said that she had found an insurance policy taken out on her, while married to Jimmy, and had run away, changing her name, in order to protect her life. She suggested that Sally do the same before it was too late.

Sally searched the house, and found an insurance policy, taken out on her. She didn't waste any time running. She ran to her brother, and he in turn let her close friend, and colleague, Julia Evans, know where Sally was. Sally decided to go to Seattle and inform the insurance company about what was going on, and perhaps find out about the previous wives. Fortunately, Julia insists on going along.

What happens from this point on is so scary. The reason being is that this can, and does happen across America every day. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ms. La Pierre has done a wonderful job in bringing you into the world of domestic violence. A world that most of us cannot comprehend, as we have not lived it. She has shown why a woman would not leave the situation, and stay to be hurt, physically, and/or mentally, and even perhaps killed.

Ms. La Pierre also shows that there is help for women caught up in this cycle of violence. But mostly she shows how important it is to have support, and help, from both family and friends. With this support, the cycle can be broken.

I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is one that has an awesome story, one that will keep you up all night reading it. You will not be able to put this book down even for a minute. The characters are so real. From greasy, egotistical, sick Jimmy, to Eva Lindsay, who has found the strength to help Sally, and perhaps find out what really happened to the first two wives.

Ms. La Pierre does an excellent job exploring what happens to abuse victims, both emotionally and physically. She has woven this very important subject into a gripping story that is both very spellbinding, and at the same time very educational. One that you just have to read.

My only problem with THE DEADLY THORN is the fact that Ms. Sullivan hasn't come up with a new book yet. So I will just have to wait until she does, because believe me I will not miss any book she writes. She is one awesome, talented, author.

I could not put this book down. Just when I thought I was getting to a place where I could put this book down and get some sleep I found another episode of intrigue to keep me going. Take an arrogant short, greasy haired man and a group of beautiful women and you KNOW he has to have hidden charms. He murders his first two wives and his third wife has changed her name and moved to another state to get away from him. The slob, Jimmy, has successfully received hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance policies on his first two wives. He has married the fourth time and after only a few months of marriage is planning to murder his 4th wife and of course, has a huge insurance policy on her. Wife number four and her best friend along with wife number three get in cohoots to outsmart Jimmy and there starts the tale. This is an action packed novel well worth reading. I'm going to read it again.

I could not put this book down. Just when I thought I was getting to a place where I could put this book down and get some sleep I found another episode of intrigue to keep me going. Take an arrogant short, greasy haired man and a group of beautiful women and you KNOW he has to have hidden charms. He murders his first two wives and his third wife has changed her name and moved to another state to get away from him. The slob, Jimmy, has successfully received hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance policies on his first two wives. He has married the fourth time and after only a few months of marriage is planning to murder his 4th wife and of course, has a huge insurance policy on her. Wife number four and her best friend along with wife number three get in cohoots to outsmart Jimmy and there starts the tale. This is an action packed novel well worth reading. I'm going to read it again.