"The Girl She Used To Be" by David Cristofano
FICTION
3/19/2009
Price: $22.99/$25.99
ISBN: 9780446582223
Pages: 256
The Burton Review = 3.5 Pretty Good!
This is a debut novel by David Cristofano and he really did very well; it is a suspenseful page turner with threats of violence and romance. Melody is a 26 year old woman who has been in the Federal Witness Program since she was a child. She lost her parents and has no one who knows who she is or who she was except for the bad Mafia guys. Full of psychological issues as she is trying to conform to what the Feds try to identify her as, she wants to fill the void and feel real. She has been assuming the made-up identity since she was six and fleeing from one place to the next for most of her life.
Then she meets one of the sons of the feared Mafia family, Jonathan, who is promising to help her. She is then torn between feeling alive and the reality of the situation. Should she trust him? Should she be swayed by his power, his good lucks or just the fact that someone is paying attention to her?
This is well written and fast paced; the sarcasms that Melody imparts are understandable and believable. The fact that Melody gives credence to one of the bad guys is a bit difficult to swallow regardless of how sheltered she has been, but the author tries very hard to convey the desperation that Melody was feeling. With a rush of Billy Idol and the Scorpions and a red convertible Audi, Melody is searching for the freedom to live as she never has before.
The finish of the book wasn't the predictable happy ending but was satisfying; I enjoyed it as a quick read and I would recommend it for those in search of a general fiction fix.
FICTION
3/19/2009
Price: $22.99/$25.99
ISBN: 9780446582223
Pages: 256
The Burton Review = 3.5 Pretty Good!
This is a debut novel by David Cristofano and he really did very well; it is a suspenseful page turner with threats of violence and romance. Melody is a 26 year old woman who has been in the Federal Witness Program since she was a child. She lost her parents and has no one who knows who she is or who she was except for the bad Mafia guys. Full of psychological issues as she is trying to conform to what the Feds try to identify her as, she wants to fill the void and feel real. She has been assuming the made-up identity since she was six and fleeing from one place to the next for most of her life.
Then she meets one of the sons of the feared Mafia family, Jonathan, who is promising to help her. She is then torn between feeling alive and the reality of the situation. Should she trust him? Should she be swayed by his power, his good lucks or just the fact that someone is paying attention to her?
This is well written and fast paced; the sarcasms that Melody imparts are understandable and believable. The fact that Melody gives credence to one of the bad guys is a bit difficult to swallow regardless of how sheltered she has been, but the author tries very hard to convey the desperation that Melody was feeling. With a rush of Billy Idol and the Scorpions and a red convertible Audi, Melody is searching for the freedom to live as she never has before.
The finish of the book wasn't the predictable happy ending but was satisfying; I enjoyed it as a quick read and I would recommend it for those in search of a general fiction fix.
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