Review: A Book That Resonates
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2010
Stephanie Ann McRae ("Sam" to her friends) is a loner.Well, heck, you might be, too, if you were born in the biggest ghetto in America, were the only white girl in your class, lost your parents at the age of nine and had been shipped off to live with a distant cousin.She also has a propensity for getting herself into trouble.But it's not Sam's fault. It only happens because she's a Good Samaritan.Do I seem to be making excuses for her?Well, yeah, I suppose I am. I am, because I care about Sam - and I believe in her. (Isn't that what we all want from a protagonist? To care about what happens to her, and to believe she could be real?)Sam is a lawyer and the creation of Debbi Mack. Debbi, too, is a lawyer and also has degrees in journalism and library science.Somewhere along the way (she's not telling how) Debbi also learned a great deal about subjects like child pornography and murder. So much so, in fact, that she's been able to convincingly weave them into the plot of Least Wanted, her second novel to feature Sam's exploits.The first was Identity Crisis, first published in 2005, reissued in print and as an e-book in 2009. You don't have to read the books in order, though. Least Wanted stands perfectly well on its own.I liked everything about Least Wanted, not the least that the story, like life, doesn't end with everything tied-up in neat little packages.By the end of the book, we all know who did what, and why, and how.But what about Tina? What's to become of her?Least Wanted isn't just the title of the book; it's the essence of what Tina is. And the story begins and ends with her. She's Sam's client, a thirteen-year old girl, abused and impoverished, exploited and mistreated by the very people who were charged with protecting her.What kind of a person is she likely to grow up to be?Causing us to wonder about that is another good thing about Least Wanted. Debbi doesn't have an answer. Neither do I.This book resonates