Review: Labyrinth

Thank you to @GalleryBooks for picking me from the Goodreads Giveaway contest!
Labyrinth by Catherine Coulter
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Thank you to @GalleryBooks for picking me from the Goodreads Giveaway contest! I am shocked quite frankly. I never thought I would win another book. This is one I really wanted to read so when I came home from Holiday to find this surprise package, I confess to performing a little Happy Dance!

An avid fan of Ms. Coulter since her historical romance years, I have steadily followed her contemporary series. This latest one in her FBI Thriller series is fantastic! It is a great read filled with action and new twists. Ms. Coulter puts her main characters through the ringer. Sherlock goes through a terrible accident and it causes her to lose her memory. I can't fathom the difficult of not knowing oneself nor one's loved ones. How does a child understand when their beloved mother forgets their existence? How does a spouse respond when their best friend and lover suddenly looks at them like a stranger? With Sherlock's high octane job as an FBI agent, this makes her memory loss even more serious.

The suspense part of this story is well done and kept me riveted. It worked well with Sherlock's missing memories. What I found interesting is the "villains" in this story. Ms. Coulter did a lovely job showcasing their motives. Also how good/bad are not always so black and white. What I like to focus on is the motive here. Whenever there is an unbalanced or toxic relationship, I find that the victim tends to lash out in ways that cause more damage to themselves. Whilst revenge may seem like a good idea. Or whilst getting even may seem like it will work out in the wronged person's favour, it rarely results in this manner. It is a lose-lose situation. Although if one goes in with the "burn them to the ground and die trying" attitude, then a lose-lose situation is probably the outcome they are intending.

I am not sure if it is Ms. Coulter's character development or my jaded old age that causes me to empathize with the main villains. What they did was clearly wrong. Their motives, whilst also not ethically, based on their history it is easy to see how they went wrong. It begs the further question of, are parents responsible for their child's behaviour when they become an adult? Because clearly, there are daddy issues and oppression from a patriarchal society. But then, do we look at these villains and think, at what time does one own their own decisions? Yes there are factors which drive a person to want to do bad, but there are other ways to win. Other ways that are less destructive.

I enjoyed this book because it really made me think about the villains. Wanting to profile these people and try to trace where it all started to go wrong. Could there have been a specific someone who could have turned them away from a life of crime? It makes me think about my interactions with people and how I can be more supportive and kinder. Ms. Coulter writes stories which contain life lessons without being preacher or lecturing. Her way of showing cause and effect is what I appreciate most in her stories.

This suspense thriller is highly recommended to everyone.