See Jane Die (Mira) (Hardcover)

by Erica Spindler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Jane Killian almost dies when she's run over by a motor boat in the opening pages of the latest mildly entertaining but formulaic romance thriller by Spindler (In Silence; Dead Run; Bone Cold; etc.). This disfiguring event still haunts Jane, even though extensive surgery has reclaimed her beautiful face and she's married to "smart, charming and James Bond handsome" plastic surgeon Dr. Ian Westbrook. Then one of Ian's patients, Elle Vanmeer, is found dead in a hotel room, and Dr. Ian becomes the chief suspect after an initial investigation by Dallas police (led by none other than Jane's sister, ball-busting detective Stacy Killian). To make things worse, an unknown stalker begins sending Jane notes indicating he's the guy who ran over her with the boat—"I did it on purpose. To hear your screams"—and now he's back to finish the job. More women are found dead, and even Jane herself has moments of doubt about her husband's innocence. There are other suspects; in fact, virtually every male character at some point appears to be the guilty party. Plucky Jane takes it on herself to prove Ian's innocence, and with help from her dog, Ranger, and sister Stacy she unsurprisingly succeeds. All of Spindler's suspense novels are stylistically rooted in her romance-writing past and should be enjoyed as such. Serious suspense/thriller readers are advised to look elsewhere.
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Review
"See Jane Die makes the perfect beach reading." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Shocks, stuns and entertains with each and every page." -- newmysteryreader.com --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778320537
• ISBN-13: 978-0778320531
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #840,525 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced and exciting!, August 21, 2004

By	M. Bechyne "free_fall" (Downey, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the second book I have read by this author. This one is much better than the other (earlier) work. It is a frightening mystery with many plot twist and turns - with only a few predictable patches. It twists down to a satisfying end leaving the reader satiated.

I would recommend to anyone!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engrossing read, September 19, 2004

By	A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Seventeen years ago on a dare by her half-sister Stacy, Jane Killian went swimming on a bright sunny day in frigid Lake Ray Hubbard. While swimming, a boat heads directly for her, hitting her and changing her life forever. Fast-forward to the present, after many surgeries later, she is a renowned artist, happily married for a year to a plastic surgeon, pregnant and rich due to an inheritance from her grandmother. Her seemingly idyllic life is about to be shattered when her husband is arrested for a string of murders. Jane starts to receive anonymous notes relating to her long ago accident. The boater is out there and wants to finish the job he started. Jane seeks help from her estranged sister Stacy in clearing her husband and finding her tormentor.

This is the first book by Erica Spindler that I have read. I really enjoyed it. It was very suspenseful and quick reading. I liked that the story flowed well without too many red herrings trying to lead you down false paths. The characterization was very good. A surprise twist at the end made this a worthwhile read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable suspense story with some romance!, October 10, 2005

By	Valerie Matteson "Bookaholic" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: See Jane Die (Mira) (Hardcover)

This is the third book I have read by this author and I have enjoyed all of them although this one has a lot more plot twists and turns.

The main character, Jane Killian, is fifteen and cutting school when on a dare from her older half-sister and her friends goes for a swim in March 1987 in a lake in Dallas, Texas. The water is frigid but Jane is exhilarated feeling that her sister Stacy and her friends will respect her now and not think her a bookworm or weakling. Jane even swims out past the swimmer's buoy to the boating side and sees a motor boat coming which first seems to turn away from her and then swerves and comes right at her. She is hit by the propeller.

We come forward to October 2003 and Jane has fallen asleep at her computer in her Dallas studio reliving that nightmare. She wakes up to find her husband, Dr. Ian Westbrook, standing in the doorway to her studio asking if she is okay. We find out that she has had extensive plastic and reconstructive surgery so that in spite of a fine scar along her jaw line and a glass eye in place of the one torn out by the accident, she is "beautiful." Her husband is also very handsome and they seem to be much in love. Jane has just found out that she is eight weeks pregnant. Jane is also an up and coming artist called "Cameo" who does sculptures and videos of women talking about fears, insecurities and so on.

A former patient of Ian's is found dead in a hotel room. Jane's sister Stacy, now a homicide detective with the Dallas PD is called to the scene with her new partner, Mac McPherson. Evidence is uncovered that lead them to suspect Jane's husband, Ian, may have been having an affair with her and killed her. They begin questioning witnesses and soon too Ian's office manager, Marsha, turns up dead as well. Jane and Stacy's good friend and psychologist, Dave Nash, talks to Jane and tries to help her with her nightmares and suspicions. Soon Ian is arrested, more bodies start popping up and more characters and suspects enter the story.

While I found some of the police and forensic descriptions to be not as good as some mysteries, the plot did have great twists and turns as even the reader did not know who was behind it all until the end. An exciting read!