Cee Cee Wilkes has had a pretty miserable life. Deserted by
her father when she was born, her mother
died of cancer when she was just
twelve and she spent the rest of her
childhood in a succession of children’s homes. At the age of 16 she finds work
in a café to help fund her way through college and soon falls head over heels
with Timothy Gleeson, the handsome, older college boy she serves each day.
Tim seems to reciprocate her feelings and Cee Cee is on cloud nine until one day Tim confides in her that he and his brother are planning to kidnap the governor’s pregnant wife and hold her hostage to secure the release of their sister who is currently on death row for murder. He asks her to help him, and while Cee Cee is horrified by what he plans to do, she cannot refuse because she loves him so much.
Cee Cee cannot return to her normal life after her part in the plot and she disappears, takes on an assumed identity and never sees Tim again.
Two decades later the fragile happiness that Cee Cee has built up for herself is placed in jeopardy when the body of the Governor's wife is discovered but there is no sign of her unborn child. The sensational case becomes national news and Timothy Gleeson is charged with murder and now faces the death penalty himself. Cee Cee is the only person who can save him as she knows that Tim did not kill the governor’s wife and she also knows exactly what happened to the baby. Telling the truth will destroy not only her own life but that of her family. Can Cee Cee let an innocent man die to protect her lifetime of lies or will she listen to her conscience and destroy the lives of those she loves the most to save him.
This is a superb book. It is well written and Diane Chamberlin’s background in psychology has led her to create believable, fully drawn characters with real strengths and flaws. It is testament to the strength of her characterisation that while the reader is appalled by what Cee Cee has done they still want everything to work out for her because she seems so real, so likeable and because we fully understand the reasons for her actions. The story is so haunting that you will not be able to put the book down until you know what happens and you will find yourself reading well into the early hours every night. This is not a light, fun holiday read but I would highly recommend it. It is powerful and moving and raises issues about living with the consequences of decisions we make when we are young and foolish and in love.
5/5
By Wendy Knowles
