Meet Kate Bennett - she's a train wreck.
She's a swirling mass of neurotic self-doubt, self-questioning, self-loathing and inner confusion. She's has problems with men, problems with her job, problems with her co-workers, problems with her past, problems with her country and society. She's lonesome - she is a festering boil of dysfunctional angst - she occasionally gives into delicious, lusty sex which makes her hate herself - she seems an excellent candidate for a truck load of Valium and a future straight jacket.
Yet, her job is that of psychologist! That's right! Kate Bennett, Ph.D, is a counselor charged with healing the maladjustments of her fellow man!
Why not!
You have to admit, it makes for a great fictional premise. The blind leading the blind, as it were. Of course, most of us have always suspected this is the case anyway in real life - that no one is more screwed up than a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Anyway, that's the best thing about this book, HIDDEN, by Irish writer DERICK PARSONS. All fiction is based on character and I give the author and A+ for creating the beautiful Kate Bennett, a walking contradiction. I did mention she is drop-dead gorgeous and a sizzling sexual lioness, right? Well, she is. She attracts men like flies.
Unfortunately, these men are barely above the evolutionary scale of the common house fly - sleazy politicians, sexual deviants, criminals, and fellow psychologists with brains ruled by their testicular organs.
The trouble for me is that I can't decide if this book is supposed to be a standard romance novel or a murder-mystery thriller. It's actually a combination of both, and there's nothing wrong with this, except that, for my tastes, the author is unable to hold it together in an effective way.
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| Derick Parsons |
The problem is that this voluminous inner dialogue often becomes tedious. I think most readers will grow frustrated or exasperated as we listen in on Kate Bennett endlessly, yet fruitlessly self analyzes herself, questions her every move, doubts her every thought, second-guess her every motivation.
The author manages to cobble together a fairly reasonably complex and compelling murder mystery plot - the key to which is centered on a deeply-troubled mental patient - a shockingly lovely 18-year old girl who unfortunately can't help because she is mostly catatonic or too delusional to be of value.
But the entire plot collapses upon itself at the end like a house of cards. It does so because of the way the "big finish" scene is choreographed. To say the least, the denouement is not skillfully handled - and I mean really not skillfully handled at all. That's a shame because it tarnishes the rest of what is a well-written, well-conceived book with characters that are interesting and vivid.
My impression is that some readers will find this a 4- or 5-star read, while others will drop out well before the final chapters and rate it a 1-star read. To that end, I split the difference and offer three stars - and I will add that I believe Derick Parsons to be a deeply skilled writer with a brilliant future -- a brilliant future indeed.
Ken Korczak is the author of: BIRD BRAIN GENIUS
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