{Review} Mental Pause by Anne L. O'Connell

ISBN #: 978-0984927227

Page Count: 228

Copyright: March 7, 2013

Publisher: Anne O'Connell

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Abbie Slocum, a forty-something, average, middle of the road, housewife and mother of teenage twin boys, tries desperately to keep her outwardly idyllic life together while spiraling into a dark pit of menopausal insanity. Her mind races with suicidal, murderous thoughts so outside of her normal character that it frightens her. The only person she can share the graphic images from her hormonally addled mind with is her best friend, Rachel, recently separated, and the mysterious and titillating Joan, a new friend from Rachel's singles support group.

Women have survived this female passage of life since the beginning of time! Why was Abbie having so much trouble handling it? As the battle to maintain her sanity rages on, Abbie, Rachel and Joan stumble into unfortunate, borderline comical, circumstances that lead to wild nights, experimenting with drugs and two suspicious deaths.

Abbie's cop husband, Conrad, tries desperately to understand what's happening to his normally sweet wife. While vying for promotion, his family gets embroiled in a media frenzy that swirls around a murder trial in which Abbie is the primary suspect.

Abbie takes the reader on an old jalopy ride of uncharacteristic outbursts and wild escapism that leads to tragedy and finally into court where she just might have to plead 'temporary insanity.'

Mandy's Review:

Wow.

Talk about having a mental breakdown, or pause!

Abbie has been experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, but not just normal ones. These are like the mother of all hot flashes and night sweats. Of course, what is normal when it comes to this body change? I am not of the age to begin experiencing this life change, but I've seen my mother and co-worker go through it. Their symptoms were bad, but nowhere near as bad as Abbie's. It makes me wonder if Abbie's were exaggerated ... of course, this is fiction so why not exaggerate them?!

On top of the emotional turmoil of going through menopause, Abbie has been in the wrong place at the wrong time ... twice. She has been arrested and goes on trial for two murders. Abbie didn't commit the murders (no spoiler, the reader is aware of this the entire book), but can her lawyer prove to the jury that she's innocent?

I was surprisingly pleased with this book. It is well-written and, for the most part, realistic. The book flows easily so the reader has no trouble staying engaged in the story. While it's not an edge-of-your-seat-thriller, it is a nice quick escape into the world of mild suspense. If you enjoy mysteries or suspense stories but don't want anything too "heavy," then this is the book for you.


*An ecopy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.