Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey

Welcome!  I was shocked when I went to my local grocery the other day.  You would think food was going extinct.  Fresh produce, toilet paper, soap, cleaners, cheese, cookie dough, eggs, meats and so much more is out of stock.  I could not even get little pig sausages.  I was lucky to get the next to last package of beef hot dogs and my mother's steak fries.  The bread aisle was a barren wasteland.  The only reason I got noodles is because I use Jewish egg noodles from the ethnic foods aisle (people had not discovered them yet).  It is a good thing Publix has a bakery and a deli (I was able to get cheese and lunch meat there).  I hope all of you are safe and well.  This is a great time to do spring cleaning, clear out the closets, take online cooking classes, get some of those books in your large TBR pile read or bond with the kids by watching movies, play board games or work on puzzles.

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M.Bailey has Morgan Kincaid standing on the subway platform when a woman comes up to her, thrusts her baby towards Morgan asking her to take care of her and then jumps in front of the oncoming train.  Morgan has never seen the woman before and has no clue how she knew Morgan’s name.  Detective Karina Martinez suspects Morgan of pushing the woman who turns out to be Nicole Markham, the CEO of Breathe, an athleisure & wellness company.  Morgan soon notices that someone has broken into her home and then she sees someone following her.  Morgan feels that her life is in danger and she is also worried about the baby, Quinn.  Morgan wants answers and sets out to get them. 

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M.Bailey is a suspenseful mystery novel.  Morgan Kincaid is surprised when a woman comes up to her on the subway platform and gives her the baby she is carrying.  She says that she has been watching Morgan.  She asks her to love the baby and not let anyone hurt her.  The woman then jumps in front of the incoming train.  Unfortunately, no one can verify Morgan’s account of the events.  Detective Martinez focuses on Morgan as the prime suspect. She wonders if Morgan pushed Nicole for her baby.  Morgan and Detective Martinez have history.  Morgan soon notices that someone has been in her apartment and they have only stolen one item.  She then notices someone following her.  Morgan wonders if she is being paranoid or if someone is trying to kill her?  Morgan wants answers and is not willing to wait for them.  If you regularly read mystery novels, you will have no problem solving the whodunit.  I kept hoping that the author would surprise me at the end.  The point-of-view switches from Morgan in the present to Nicole in the past to tell the story.  I found Woman on the Edge a hard book to get into (it took me a little while).  I felt like I had been dumped into the middle of a story in the beginning plus it was confusing with the back and forth.  Once I understood what was happening and got into the story, the book moved along steadily.  I could feel Nicole ’s agitation and panic as well as Morgan’s fear.  I found the second half of the book more gripping than the first. You do need to suspend your disbelief over the events that happen to the characters (some are hard to believe).   Woman on the Edge is a dark and intense story that deals with suicide, postpartum depression and a deadly psychopath.  There is foul language in the Woman on the Edge.  This is a good debut novel from Samantha M. Bailey.  Be prepared to stay late so you can learn how the book turns out.    

Woman on the Edge is available from Amazon*.  You can obtain a sample to see if this novel suits you.  Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I will return with my review of Sunsets, Sabbatical and Scandal by Tonya Kappes.  It is the tenth A Campers & Criminals Cozy Mystery.  I hope that you have a soothing day.  For a little humor before you go. . .A friend had his thesaurus stolen.  He's lost for words! (I did say a little humor).  Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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