Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: A Secret Rage

By Sandy Amazeen Aug 6, 2007, 22:36 GMT

Nickie Callahan is at a turning point; her agent has just informed her that at twenty-seven years of age, her lucrative modeling career is over. When Nickie’s long time friend Mimi Houghton called from Knolls, Tennessee with news of her latest divorce and an offer to move in, it felt like breath of fresh air. She would finally get around to finishing her English degree and work on a novel or two while relaxing in the quieter atmosphere of her old hometown. However, Nickie quickly comes to realize something ugly is stalking the shady campus sidewalks and stately family homes. A young woman is brutally attacked and raped while walking home one night, Mimi’s brother Cully offers veiled warnings and one terrifying night, Nickie is beaten and raped in her own bed, the attacker threatening to come back and finish the job. Shaken to her core, Nickie begins seeing the world in a different light and decides to give her rage a direction. She joins forces with another victim and together, they begin tracking down the rapist yet for all their detective work, nothing could have prepared them for the harsh truth.

Harris continues with her southern theme in this nicely drawn thriller that accurately portraits the horror and rage that are an inherent part of rape while empowering the victims to stand up and do something about it. Combining issues of revenge, control, deep-seated rage and above all, growing up, this is a smoothly paced, well developed piece of crime fiction.