Stages & Pages

I never thought I would enjoy reading a romance novel, but Lisa Jackson’s Left to Die gave me a reason why.

As I searched the suspense section of a local bookstore for a novel about a serial killer targeting women in the mountains of Montana, I was disappointed that it was nowhere to be found.

My genres of choice are horror and suspense, and I particularly enjoy a good Stephen King novel. But I wanted to venture outside my King comfort zone and explore something different, which led me to Jackson’s New York Times best-selling book.

I decided to use the in-store computer system to find the book and to my disbelief, it was in the romance section. Approaching the check-out line and handing the book to the cashier, I felt the flush of embarrassment spread across my cheeks.

Yes, I admit I am one of those readers who scoffs at “trashy romance novels.” Never had I imagined finding myself purchasing a novel with a cover depicting a woman in the throes of passion.

Once inside the privacy of my apartment, I began to lose my preconceptions and give Jackson’s work an open mind. Nearly 200 pages into the 484-page-novel, I was ready to admit that reading a romance novel was not the worst thing I could do for my intelligence.

But I was still unsure why it was a bestseller. The writing is simple and in many cases unimaginative. Jackson’s use of “damned” to make a point gets particularly annoying after a couple hundred pages.

Stephen King’s Misery meets an episode of Law & Order in the story of Jillian Rivers, an unsuspecting woman pulled from her mangled car in the middle of the snow-laden woods by a suspicious man after nearly becoming the victim of a psychotic female-stalking serial killer.

But despite the predictable plot line, Jackson threw me for a loop as I strained to determine if Jillian’s rescuer, Zane MacGregor, was the much-alluded-to serial stalker. Jackson uses the thoughts of Jillian to plant seeds of doubt in my mind about Zane, and I will admit that it worked.

Jackson cleverly hides MacGregor’s intentions and keeps me wondering if he is a threat to Jillian. I do not find out the truth until Jillian does, our suspicions in sync throughout each turning of the page.

During the course of Jillian’s debacle, two female detectives search for the person leaving naked women to die, tied to trees in the woods with mysterious messages etched above their heads. Though it is commendable that Jackson makes the characters in her novel predominantly assertive female figures, I felt a lack of emotional connection. I was unable to truly identify with Jillian Rivers or the two detectives, Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli.

The women’s problems seemed trivialized and in many cases served as filler. Pescoli’s problems with her children and ex-husband should create a sense of reality to her character, but Jackson misses the mark and makes Pescoli just seem whiny and irresponsible.

Alvarez and Pescoli work well together, exemplifying the idea that opposites attract. Pescoli is something of a sex-pot, chasing after emotionally unavailable men, whereas Alvarez is reserved, hiding a secret which keeps her from pursuing romantic relationships.

Jackson’s obsession of referring to her characters in various ways made creating a character connection and keeping up with who was being depicted a difficult task. Jackson refers to each of her main characters by first name, last name or in some cases both. This makes it difficult to remember which character is which, especially in the beginning of the novel when we are still being introduced to the protagonists.

Perhaps the most unfortunate part of this novel is that Jackson intentionally ends it with many questions unanswered. For readers who want everything wrapped nicely in a bow by the final page, disappointment awaits.

Closure will not come until August 2009 when Chosen to Die is released. If this novel is any indication, I am unsure if even then Jackson will reveal all the secrets and questions of Left to Die. But if you can get past sometimes unimaginative writing and predictable plot lines, then Jackson’s novel is worth the read.

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