Review : 14 Days to Die by A B Whelan

Published by : Motion Capitol

11 January 2016

Copy : Kindle Edition - Reviewer Purchased

The Blurb

Stay-at-home mom Sarah Johnson has the perfect family—a handsome, hardworking husband and two healthy and beautiful children. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself for years. After the tragedies in her youth, Sarah deemed living a lie easier than dwelling on the past and facing her everyday failures. To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do. She wouldn’t jeopardize her comfortable but dull life for anything.

But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her—making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.

So the game of life or death begins. Secrets are unveiled. Emotions are unleashed. Actions are taken. 

The Very Pink Notebook Review

There is no doubting this book had me hooked by the second paragraph of the blurb.  It was one of those occasions where I hurried to finish what I was reading in order to move onto this.  And it did not disappoint.

I loved the style of writing in this book.  It was fast paced, easy to read and just flowed effortlessly, but the thing I liked the most was the dialogue.  Even with some of the best will in the world, dialogue can sound a bit trite but this just wasn't and my favourite interactions were between Sarah and her husband Mike, it had me laughing out loud at times.

There is no stalling with the action, it starts from the first page and covers a two week timescale, in which a lot of the time the reader is with Sarah in her thoughts, as she rushes through every emotion conceivable while the reality of her situation hits home.  Again, although it is a serious plot, Sarah and her attitude and ideas - after all she is just your run of the mill stay-at-home mum - did make for some comedy reading.  However, you are still given the serious side of her and you soon understand that Sarah, although has been the model wife and mother, has not always been a good human being.

Punctuated throughout the novel are snippets of conversations between friends and neighbours in their police interviews, and although entertaining, I am not sure they were particularly needed or added anything to moving the plot forward.  Having said that, it was a way of anchoring in the police element of involvement without having to flesh out long and unnecessary scenes, because this isn't about the police investigation of what happened.

I wasn't quite sure how the ending was going to pan out, it could have ended in many different ways, and I sort of wish this was one of those books where you could choose varying options!  I did enjoy the authors choice for the most part and it tied up all the loose ends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.  As such 14 Days to Die receives a Very Pink Notebook rating of :