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Book summary and reviews of What Doesn't Kill Her by Carla Norton

What Doesn't Kill Her by Carla Norton

What Doesn't Kill Her

A Reeve LeClaire Series Novel

by Carla Norton

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  • Published:
  • Jun 2015
    320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Reeve LeClaire is a college student, dammit, not Daryl Wayne Flint's victim. Not anymore - not when Reeve is finally recovering a life of her own after four years of captivity.

Flint is safely locked up in Olshaker Psychiatric Hospital, where he belongs. He is walking the grounds of the forensic unit, performing his strange but apparently harmless rituals. It seems that he is still suffering the effects of the head injury he suffered in the car crash that freed Reeve seven years ago. Post-concussive syndrome, they call it.

For all that Flint seems like a model patient, he has long been planning his next move. When the moment arrives, he gets clean away from the hospital before the alarm even sounds. And Reeve is shocked out of her new life by her worst nightmare: Her kidnapper has escaped. Less than 24 hours later, Flint kills someone from his past - and Reeve's blocked memories jolt back into consciousness. As much as she would like to forget him, she knows this criminal better than anyone else. When Flint evades capture, baffling authorities and leaving a bloody trail from the psychiatric lock-up to the forests of Washington state, Reeve suddenly realizes that she is the only one who can stop him.

Reeve is an irresistibly brave and believable heroine in Carla Norton's heart-stopping new thriller about a young woman who learns to fight back.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review...what Norton does best is to skillfully ratchet up suspense to a breathtaking climax, with a moving coda from the past. A nonstop thriller." - Booklist

"Starred Review. The pages fly by in this thrill-a-minute sequel to The Edge of Normal that keeps readers guessing what will happen next and hoping for Reeve's triumph over Flint. Highly recommended for all fans of manhunt mysteries who love a strong heroine who sometimes breaks but is never completely broken." - Library Journal

"In spite of allowing the second entry in the series to tap into emotional back stories that might better have been saved for later, Norton writes smart characters and cleverly leaves herself room for a sequel." - Kirkus

"What Doesn't Kill Her is a smart, tightly written, psychological thrill ride, with characters so real you can feel them." - Taylor Stevens, author of The Informationist

This information about What Doesn't Kill Her was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Carol G. (Little Egg Harbor, NJ)

What Doesn't Kill Her
I am so glad I read this book. I had never heard of this author prior to receiving this book for review. I am going to read her previous book in the series - The Edge of Normal now. One of my favorite authors - Jeffery Deaver - gave this book outstanding reviews which is one of the reasons I chose it - and so glad I was selected to receive it. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. This book had all the aspects of what I love to read - a thriller, suspenseful, psychological, nail-biting, chilling, great character insight to name a few. I think anyone would be remiss not to read this wonderful author. I have already spread the word to many of my friends and to my Book Club.

Karen H. (Centreville, MD)

What Doesn't Kill Her
What Doesn't Kill Her is the first Carla Norton book I've read, and I liked it so much I went back to buy the first book in this series. Norton's story is full of suspense—I had to force myself to stop reading or I would have read the entire book in one sitting. Reeve, the main character is compelling—vulnerable but confident, and Flint, her former captor, is fascinating yet terrifying in his obsessions. Norton conveys the horror of Reeve's experiences with Flint without relying on graphic descriptions. Instead she uses the shifting perspectives (Reeve to Flint to other minor characters) to heighten the tension and quicken the pace creating a true thriller with a satisfying ending.

Caryl L. (Richmond, VA)

What doesn't kill her
Boy, this is one gutsy girl! Reeve is almost to hard to believe, but the author makes her a real young lady who decides she must fight back against the most terrifying time of her life at the hands of her life at the hands of Daryl Wayne Flint.

This psychopath escapes from prison and is tracking Reeve and searching for his next victim. At times, he really frightened me with his sinister behavior. With the help of the police, Reeve tries to find Daryl Wayne Flint (referred to throughout by his whole name) and return him to the Psychiatric Hospital where he belongs.

Well written, page turner, good character development, I really enjoyed this book and will look for Carla Norton's books in the future.

John W. (Saint Louis, MO)

Amazing Triller - Must Read Book for Summer
I love a good thriller and Carla Norton wrote an amazing one - now can't wait to read her first one, "The Edge of Normal" or future ones.

The book is well written with just enough detail so that the story flows flawlessly. Reese, the main character is well developed and definitely portrayed as a strong woman -- not only overcoming years of captivity but also willing to put herself into danger by flying home to help a retired FBI agent find the madman that held her captive. While reading the book you'll feel for the pain Reese experienced, wish her success, but also fear for her safety.

Susan R. (Julian, NC)

A Real Thriller
When I won this book, I checked and found out that it was the second book in a series so I ordered and read Edge of Normal first - which I loved. I was prepared to enjoy What Doesn't Kill her and I wasn't disappointed. I could barely put it down once I started it. It kept me up late reading one night and thinking about it another night. I thought that the author wrote a fantastic thriller and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. She has been added to my list of authors that I watch for their upcoming releases. Fantastic read.

Carole P. (Framingham, MA)

What Doesn't Kill Her
What Doesn't Kill Her is a sequel to The Edge Of Normal. Both books are about Reeve LeClaire , who was kidnapped and kept prisoner by a sadistic psychotic man. Both books are suspenseful, intense, dark stories of a young woman's attempt to survive. She is now trying to create a new "normal" life. Then the unthinkable happens.

While her first book was excellent, this one is better. It is more complex and chilling. Which says a lot because her first book was terrifying. If you are looking for a read that will keep you up at night, read What Doesn't kill Her. Actually, read both!

...20 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Carla Norton

Carla Norton is the author of The Edge of Normal, a finalist for an ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Perfect Victim, which the FBI put on its Behavioral Sciences Unit reading list. She has twice served as a judge for the Edgar Awards. She lives in California and Florida. Visit her at carlanorton.com

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