The Prettiest One: A Thriller

Caitlin Sommers has been missing for seven months; her husband is the only person of interest, but there is no evidence against him. One night she finds herself near a warehouse in a car she doesn’t recognize and finds her way home. She has no recollection of the past seven months, but when arriving home, she is covered in blood and is holding a bag containing a bunch of prosthetic hands and a gun. Before calling the authorities, Caitlin wants to find out what happened to her, and asks her husband, Josh, to help her. As she tries to overcome the amnesia that prevents her from remembering what has happened during the months she was missing, she retraces her steps and discovers a whole separate life that she was living without knowledge of the present. Caitlin is convinced that she committed a murder, and as she and Josh investigate, she learns things from her past that she had blocked out of her memory.In this well-written and fascinating novel, The Prettiest One, author James Hankins tells the story of a mysterious and troubling life that Caitlin doesn’t remember. She and Josh learn things that put them and some new acquaintances in grave danger. The suspense is palpable during the entire novel, and there are surprises at every turn. This is not the regular “amnesia” tale, and there are some interesting psychological things that are happening to Caitlin that seem to be feasible and well-researched. The book will grab readers immediately, and will be very difficult to put down. Things are not as they seem in this novel, and there are some very unsavory characters who are stalking Caitlin because of an incident that happened to her when she was just five years old.Even though the book is fascinating and is definitely worth reading, there are a couple of issues that are not explained, and they leave the reader in the dark. These are not major issues, and readers will be satisfied when finished, but will be left hanging a little as to whatever happened to the other victims who were with Caitlin when she was five.The bottom line is that this is a very enjoyable novel; it’s fast moving, well-written, and unique. Thriller lovers will want to put this title on their must-read list.

Meet the cast of characters:Caitlin Sommers who is also Katherine Southard. The main protagonist is a woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder (dissociative identity disorder). The story begins with her in a fugue state, 7 months of her life missing due to amnesia caused by her mental disorder. She is wandering around a warehouse parking lot, blood on her clothes and a dead body in the warehouse. Convinced that she killed the man, she tries to discover her lost memories while being hunted down by both bad guys and the boogieman in her dreams. At the same time, the police are trying to investigate the murder and her.Other characters:Josh Sommers is the man Caitlin Sommers is married to. She had left him angry after a fight for unknown reasons only to disappear for 7 months and then show up again after being presumed dead.Desmond Bixby or Bix is the fiance of Caitlin's other personality, Katherine Southard. He knows "Katie" as a much wilder, seedier woman. Together with Josh, her husband, he helps Katie in her search for the truth.Charlotte Hunnsaker is the detective trying to find the identity of the dead body and who killed him.Mike Bookerman is a bad guy who is also dead but the characters don't know this in the beginning.Chops is another bad guy who uses a persona of a successful building contractor when he is not killing people.Summary:This psychological thriller is not the usual "what is going to happen next," edge-of-your-seat story. Rather, it is based on the personality of Caitlin Sommers seeking to discover what has already happened with the help of both her husband, Josh, and her fiance, Bix. The book is well edited and the author, James Hankins, has an excellent writing style. My main criticism is that he begins the book with some unrealistic premises and actions. Other reviewers comment on this. I was put off by the unrealistic reactions of the characters in the beginning but kept reading to discover that the story does become more interesting.This is a book that you will either really like or really hate. If you enjoy a well-written thriller that doesn't use a detective or lawyer as the main character but is still a crime book, this book is for you. If more realistic personalities and actions are important to you, pass this book on by.

Multiple Mysteries - Check..Suspense - Check.. From the beginning until the end....Thriller - Double Check!!As soon as I saw I - 91 appearing in the book, I knew the setting for this one was close to my home. And, that piqued my curiosity even more. Home for Caitlin Sommers was in Bristol, NH, but the majority of the story occurs in Smithfield, MA. And, what an incredible story this is from page one until the end.Just about the time I thought I had a portion of it figured out, I admit that I was 100% wrong. And, my deductive reasoning (s) did not help for the remainder of the book either. An excellent plot fueled by some interesting characters makes this one a real page turner. And, the development of the characters is superb including both the good guys and the evil ones. The writing style is smooth and flows easily and the descriptive portions will make one cringe at times. One thing that I really enjoyed was the two strong female characters....Caitlin and Detective Charlotte Hunnsaker.Humor is interjected throughout the book to allow the readers an opportunity to catch their breaths. After I finished reading this book I kept thinking of a title that would be appropriate. I decided on 'Like Father, Like Sons'. Mr. Hankins has delved deeply into the minds of two generations with ease and also described in detail the manner in which a traumatic event affects a person.Most highly recommended and for multiple reasons.Edited to reflect that this is my Kindle First Selection for September..

Excellent story, unfortunately after reading 66% the book comes up with totally blank pages, a first. I will never know how it ends do not intend to purchase it again.

Not a conventional detective story at all - but absolutely engrossing - couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next - great piece of original writing

I loved this book was never sure where it was going. I did however guess the very end bit but that was ok. Very very good.

I enjoyed this book very much. Keeps you thinking ,maybe a little complicated, but would certainly recommend it.

Very good book makes you want to read it all at once