Carol Smith – Fatal Attraction

Rose is a mathematical genius and talented musician. In her first year at Oxford University she sees Joe playing jazz in a local bar. He is in his final year studying physics. His musical talent and strong intellect appeal to Rose and she rapidly becomes obsessed with him. Even after he marries her sister, Rose will not give up. She will do anything to make him hers, even murder.

This book was not really what I had expected. I thought it would be based around the planning and committing of a murder (or murders) and to some degree it was, but this was only a small part of the overall story. The story is set over approx. a twenty year period following Rose’s life and her obsession with Joe.

I found the story quite enjoyable, although it was a little slow in places and did feel repetitive at times. It reminded me a lot of Barbara Vine in many ways (although less complex and not as well written), and I would recommend anyone that enjoyed this book to try a Barbara Vine. Fans of Barbara Vine might enjoy this as long as they don’t set out with expectations too high, whilst the style is similar Carol Smith’s storytelling and writing is much less sophisticated.

This book was a quick read, taking me just a few days. There was a twist at the end but I saw that coming from a long way off. It was so obvious in fact that I thought maybe it wasn’t going to happen and it was a red herring, but sadly not. That said I will still read another Carol Smith book in the future. There is plenty of room for improvement so will try another to see if that improvement is forthcoming.