Save Me from
Dangerous Men
by Saul Lelchuk (Flatiron Books, 2019) is the debut appearance of Nikki
Griffin, a bookstore owner in Oakland, California, by day and a private
investigator and vigilante by night. Griffin is forever scarred by a childhood
tragedy. She finds purpose in helping women escape domestic violence. She has
poor impulse control that finally landed her in some legal trouble; several of
the chapters in the book document sessions of court-ordered anger management
counseling.
Griffin’s
routine of books and stakeouts is disrupted when the CEO of a local tech
company hires her to follow an employee believed to be selling corporate
secrets. A cash retainer of $20,000 makes the job hard to turn down. Griffin
attaches a GPS tracker to the employee’s car and learns her routine. She
decides what she sees and what she’s been told don’t add up and she initiates a
conversation with the employee, during which she becomes convinced industrial
espionage is not why she was hired. She turns her investigation back to the CEO
and the company and their new monitoring software due to be released in a
matter of weeks, and mayhem ensues. Oversized men with guns become extremely
interested in what she knows and what evidence she may have to back it up.
Chapters on the
investigation are interspersed with chapters about her bookstore, about her efforts
to help women escape unhappy or abusive situations, and about a Berkeley
graduate student who wants a relationship. Booklovers will adore her store,
which has become a community center. And the scenic descriptions of Bay Area architecture
and landmarks that unfold as Griffin goes about her days firmly set the
context, along with some thoughtful commentary on the role of technology in 21st
century life.
On the other
hand, nearly half way through the book Lelchuk employs a plot device so old and
so contrived that I cringed when I saw it. Anyone who can create a likable, over-the-top
character like Nikki Griffin with a fine supporting cast should be able to make
a story move better than that. Nonstop action and well-planned fight scenes
round out an excellent thriller. Especially for fans of Jonathan Graves, Orphan
X, Peter Ash, and Jack Reacher.
Starred
reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.
·
Publisher: Flatiron Books;
Reprint edition (March 9, 2021)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 352 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1250170265
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250170262
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works
on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment