Tragic Spawn

(Previously Defective) Therapist Melanie Snow is driving to her office when her Honda is struck by a dark-colored van and sent spinning into a ditch, where it catches fire. The driver never stops. A passerby pulls Melanie from the car just seconds before it explodes. Waking from the coma nine days later, she is devastated to find she is blind. As Melanie struggles to cope with her new reality, life as a blind woman, her fragile state of mind is further threatened by a madman who is stalking and strangling disabled women. The first two victims were mentally challenged and Detective Matt O’Leary, who carries a torch for Melanie, (even though Melanie is engaged to someone else) tells himself she is not the killer’s targeted prey. But then a woman who lost a leg to cancer is murdered, and another physically disabled woman is stalked. Even with a whole town in terror, Melanie refuses to live her life in fear and reopens her practice in the basement of her home. She has a living to earn. And Detective Matt O’Leary must find a way to keep Melanie safe until the monster is caught. But how? Her door is now open to the public and the killer can just walk through anytime he chooses. And he does. Reviews “…suspense that puts her right up there with the likes of Sandford and Patterson..." Ingrid Taylor for Small Press Review “.... a powerful voice in the world of suspense and mystery..." Cindy Penn "...a gripping style that wrings emotions from everyday settings. Oh and by the way ...is your door locked?" Linda Hersey - Fredericton Gleaner Amazon Reader Reviews from Defective: Another Winner from one of my all time favorite authors! By Aaron P. Lazar on August 27, 2013 Another winner from Joan Hall Hovey, one of my all-time favorite authors. Her style is smooth and easy to read, and as always, the woman in peril is incredibly likeable and real. Melanie, a psychologist who's been in a terrible accident and turned nearly completely blind, tries to live her life as best she can, although her weakling fiance gives up on her. (hated that guy!) Strong and absolutely wonderful, this woman puts her life back in spite of the odds. She's not prepared, however, for the psychopathic serial killer who stalks her. The killer -- a truly frightening man -- is after victims who happened to be handicapped. Such a terrible premise, as if these poor people don't have enough to deal with! As the body count rises, the local police tear their hair out trying to solve the crime before another woman is hurt. Loved the last scene where (I won't spoil the plot) the would-be victim fights back. I was cheering for her!! Thank you, Ms. Hovey, for another amazing armchair adventure! great characters and themes By doeraymee on August 28, 2013 Fast action but good character depth too. This book has three main characters who are pretty well-fleshed out and a couple of other minor characters who are more like sketches. Since the novel is really short, this is a good balance. The main character is believable and likeable and we mostly follow the action through her point of view. We also follow the investigation through the viewpoint of the police detective. And then we get the point of view of the villain, too, which is quite chilling at times. It's a good quick read, with some interesting themes including the obvious one of discrimination, with some topical references. Recommended. Nothing "Defective" about it! By J.