In Focus

This month’s book club selection was Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. As far as thrillers and murder mysteries go, this book had a very unique premise.

Jet lives with her wealthy family in Woodstock, Vermont. After spending an evening at the town’s Halloween festival, she returns home hoping to enjoy some peace and quiet. Instead, she is brutally attacked. Jet wakes up in the hospital and learns she suffered a serious head injury that required surgery. The bad news is that the injury caused an aneurysm, and doctors believe she will die within a week. Jet decides to use her final week to solve her own murder.

The book is a roller coaster of twists and turns, with damning family secrets, a growing list of possible suspects and an ending that was so shocking I never saw it coming. None of us did.

It was a very good book and held my attention throughout. There are a lot of characters to keep track of as the web of lies grows. The medical aspects are something I’m sure someone in the medical field could question. I don’t know how realistic they were, but they worked for the story.

As the days pass, Jet experiences blurry vision and dizziness, loses the use of a limb and occasionally forgets words. Given the severity of her initial injuries, I don’t think she would have been able to get out of bed if this were real life.

The club also discussed what we would do if we were in Jet’s position. Would we try to solve our own murder or take the slim chance of surviving surgery? Essentially, it came down to dying now or possibly dying in a week. Opinions were mixed, but most of us leaned toward having the surgery because of the small chance of survival.

Jet teams up with her childhood friend Billy, who is clearly in love with her and will do whatever he can to help his friend, even when it means breaking the law. He proves to be a fiercely loyal friend as they work to unravel the mystery, leading to plenty of truth, tears and loss.

The family’s secrets and past losses add another layer to the story and increase the struggles faced by the characters. They also keep the question of “what if?” alive, continually pointing toward different possible suspects.

Overall, the book kept us guessing and gave the club plenty to discuss.

I was totally engrossed. I totally recommend it!