“The Girl in the Maze” is an interesting and good debut book by R.K. Jackson. While I am not sure quite how to classify the story, Mr. Jackson was able to grab my attention and keep it attentively on the story from almost the beginning to the end.
The reason I mention I am not sure how to classify it is that there is a mystery component, a thriller/action style component, and finally more of a fiction/literature component.
The mystery has to do with both an occurrence in the past as well as the present. As a reader, the author presents some open questions for you to read and solve as you go along. This part of the story was very successful for me.
The thriller/action is the chase scenes that the heroine of the story, Martha Covington, is caught up in. She seems to be running for her life throughout the book. This part was less successful for me because it seemed as if she could not do much to help herself. She kept looking for assistance and receiving it rather than learning to stand up for herself.
Finally, the fiction/literature portion of the book has to do with Martha’s mental illness. While this was interesting, so much was made of it that it got in the way of the rest of the story. She certainly seemed to be mentally ill and in need of medications but there was just a tad too much of it for me. Once I had finished the book, I discovered that this is actually the first of a series of books, so perhaps this emphasis was necessary in this story to introduce Martha properly and it won’t be as overwhelming in ensuing books. At least, I hope that is the case.
I certainly enjoyed reading the book and can easily recommend it. There is a little too much in the story but that is not unusual for either a first novel or for a first in a series of novels. I will be looking for the author’s second novel to see how Martha is translated into a series instead of a stand-alone novel.
I received a digital ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Alibi (Random House LLC), via Netgalley.
