Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

“Choose Me” is written by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver, two experienced and popular authors. So, the writing itself is very professional: clear, clean, economical; indeed, bluntly elegant with lots of attention to detail. Kudos to the authors for not allowing their writing to get in the way of their story. But it’s a story I didn’t enjoy. First, because it’s one I’ve either read or seen many times before. Second, because it involves sexual abuse and discrimination in a variety of forms. And third, because I found the characters either unlikeable or not very interesting. The story centers around the death (is it suicide or is it murder?) of a college student, Taryn, who has been jilted by her long-time boyfriend and who enters into an affair with her English professor (who also is helping her get into a graduate program she desperately wants/needs to attend). The boyfriend is an entitled jerk. The English professor steps out on his wife, a humanitarian M.D., because their perfect marriage has hit a rough patch. Taryn turns out to be a stalker with a nasty temper and a pathological need for revenge. And the detective assigned to the case may be dedicated and dogged, but she's not much else. All in all, not people with whom I want to spend significant amounts of time. And I found the authors’ “messages” regarding sexual abuse, discrimination, and politics intrusive. It’s not that I disagree with what they have to say. But this is supposed to be an entertainment. I can’t say I found Gerritsen’s and Braver’s heavy-handed messaging particularly entertaining. All in all, "Choose Me" isn’t an awful novel. But it’s about as unique and memorable as an episode of “Law and Order: SVU,” and, unfortunately, not as enjoyable. My time could have been better spent.