"Superb work of psychological suspense"
Gerald was one of those people who seem to always have
a black cloud following him around. His mother, Marjorie
Haldane a famous but high-strung writer of children's
books, ignored her son almost from the day he was born
because he wasn't the perfect baby she wanted. When he was
about twelve he found the dead body of his pregnant sixteen
year old sister Vera in the woods near his home. The
police questioned Gerald before deciding the perpetrator
was her boyfriend. Later on the police questioned Gerald
again because he was always showing up to see the
schoolgirls play soccer. They never had enough evidence to
formally charge him but he was always fearful of law
enforcement from that experience. Now in his middle age Gerald lives a quiet life and
the only real social contact he has is with his landlady.
His co-worker Jo thinks he's an odd duck. When her
boyfriend Ron tells her that twice before the police
questioned Gerald in regards to young girls, she becomes
concerned because her daughter Melanie tells her that a man
answering to Gerald's description has been following her
around. When Melanie disappears, Ron, Jo and the police
immediately focus their attention on Gerald who's also
vanished. This leads to the police alerting an angry
public to be on the lookout for him, not realizing that
someone working behind the scenes is stirring the angry the
crowd into a riotous mob. This is a superb work of psychological suspense told
from the view points of three people, Gerald, Jo and
Gerald's Aunt Lillie. British author Laura Wilson imbues
her novel with a Gothic feeling of foreboding so that the
audience senses that something terrible is going to happen
at any moment. MY BEST FRIEND is a book well worth reading. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted December 1, 2001
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