The Admirer's Secret by Pamela Crane

I wasn't as interested in this one as I thought I'd be.  The synopsis suggested that there would be more of a creepy factor than there was; yet still, the overall story was okay.

The layers that authors add to psychological thrillers is what draws me to the genre.  Although this one has a couple that caught me off guard, it was a bit anti-climactic.  The tension just wasn't there for me.  The secret from the main character's past that I was hoping would be tremendously revealing, was that... but the problem was that it was revealed in the beginning of the book.  A bit of a let down.  Throughout the story, I suspected what was happening, and so when it turned out I was right, I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be.

There was a particular subplot character, who I thought would be instrumental in the big reveal at the end, but that character wasn't explored or woven into the story line with the kind of depth that would have required.  His character and underlying creepiness was there... but just peripherally.  I would have liked to have him more involved with the final twist.  In the end, he was an obvious red herring.  The secondary characters were also less dynamic that I would have liked... they felt more like filler than impact - even the one that was supposed to be the motivational history.

The best thing about this story... The dog doesn't die!

According to GoodReads.com, this author is a popular writer, and I seem to be in the minority.  This was my first read of her; and I'll give her another chance; but I'm guessing this novel isn't her finest work.

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