When Pamela Carter tries for the third time to snag the executive intern position at Clifford Investments, she is determined to get it. One of the two final candidates, she puts on her best game face when interviewed by the firm’s CEO, Andrew Clifford. When she is offered the position, she is ecstatic because now she can put into action her well-thought-out, surreptitious plan for Andrew to get what he deserves—something that will take away everything he holds dear.
The plot in Alretha Thomas’ THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BLAZER is multifaceted, with stakes that grow increasingly higher with each chapter and enough conflict, tension and crises to keep readers engaged. Laced with complications and obstacles that serve to move the story forward, each plot point induces a sense of intrigue and suspense, many with aspects of physical danger. When the pressure of time is added in, tension rises to the level of a ticking time bomb. Compelling direct and indirect characterization work together to drive the plot forward and bring the characters to life.
Pamela is depicted as a young woman with plenty of moxie and loyalty to those who she believes deserve justice. Elizabeth–who had a relationship with Andrew twenty-six years earlier–is a high school dropout who escaped an abusive home life, and is naive and vulnerable. Andrew is a greedy, manipulating man who seeks power and control, both in business and with women. All three main characters are three-dimensional and purposeful and their dialogue, internal thoughts, actions, and appearances combine to form interesting, believable people, all of whom want something and are willing to go to lengths to get it. No one is perfect or without struggles. They make mistakes. They let their guards down. They make wrong choices. And as in any well-written novel, each one changes by the end of the story.
Thomas does an exemplary job shifting back and forth in time with Pamela’s relationship with Andrew and that of Elizabeth’s. In alternating chapters, the narrative slips into the past with ease and without upstaging what is going on in the current time period. New information is revealed in each chapter, and the two stories slowly connect to become one. This parallel storytelling requires considerable skill to pull off successfully, and Thomas does just that, while her clever use of foreshadowing creates a sense of curiosity that is sure to keep readers engaged.
(Note: A thorough proofreading of this book would eliminate several errors in formatting, spelling, and punctuation.)
Author Alretha Thomas makes every word, character, and scene count in THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BLAZER, a very well-written suspenseful story with twists and turns from beginning to end.
~Florence Osmund for IndieReader