Catch Me When I Fall

Holly Krauss lives her life in the fast lane. A successful, happily married businesswoman, she is loved and admired by everyone she meets. But thats only one side of Holly. The other takes regular walks on the wild side and is making reckless mistakes. When the two sides of Hollys life collide, her world quickly spirals out of control. She thinks shes being stalked, that someone is trying to extort money from her, and that threats lurk around every corner. Soon the people closest to her are running out of patience... But are her fears due to paranoia and illness, or is the danger very, very real? And if Hollys judgment and mental health are not sound, who will catch her when she falls? From Publishers Weekly Long before the diagnosis is pronounced, readers will recognize that 27-year-old London executive Holly Krauss, the heroine of French's disappointing new novel (after 2004's Secret Smile ), is suffering from bipolar disorder, though Holly's manic side is much more pronounced than the depressive. A drinking binge one evening leads to a sordid one-night-stand with disastrous consequencesRees, the man she sleeps with, begins to threaten her. Meanwhile, Holly's relationship with her business partner and best friend, Meg, is in peril, as is her marriage. During another drunken evening, she loses thousands of pounds in a poker game to a loan shark. Such self-destructive behavior (most notably her poor impulse control) undermines the sense of danger. Of course, a crime lurks at the story's heart (Holly isn't entirely paranoid), but the muddled plot and unsympathetic heroine make this suspense thriller less satisfying than others by French (the pseudonym of journalists Sean French and Nicci Gerrard). Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist French has turned out four suspenseful stand-alone thrillers ( Secret Smile, 2004), but the latest is a misstep. The previous efforts have featured likable, engaging heroines, but the protagonist this time, Holly Krauss, is a whiny, odd character for whom it's difficult to generate much sympathy. The premise is that Londoner Holly is starting to do crazy things and lose control of her life. Her long-suffering husband, Charlie, seems oblivious to most of it. From having sex with a strange man to losing thousands at poker, Holly has thrown caution to the wind, and her world is about to come crashing down. Is she going crazy, and if so, why? As family and friends try to save her, Holly struggles with herself yet can't seem to stop her path of self--destruction. Readers will easily figure out a couple of plot twists, and the ending fails to deliver the kind of shocking surprise one expects from French. Still, French is a master at generating suspense, and that alone is enough to make this one worth reading, despite the flimsy premise and unlikable star. Jenny McLarin Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved Is It Paranoia, Or Is Holly In Real Danger? Loved And Admired By All, A Successful Young Businesswoman, She Has Another Side Which Sees Her Take Regular Walks On The Wild Side - Where She Makes Ever More Reckless Mistakes. And When These Mistakes Start Mounting Up, Her Life Quickly Spirals Out Of Control. Nicci French. På den ene side er Holly Krauss en ung forretningskvinde med et stabilt hjemmeliv. På den anden side begår hun dumdristige fejltagelser, og trusler lurer på hende. Men er det kun hende, der er ansvarlig for, hvad der sker? Er hendes frygt blot indbildt, eller er den reel, og hvem vil hjælpe hende, når hun falder? Holly Krauss lives life in a whirlwind - her husband Charlie, her business partner Meg and her colleagues at KS Associates are left breathless by her energy. But is Holly solely responsible for what is happening to her? Are her fears for her own safety caused by the paranoia of her illness - or very real danger... ?