Every element of JANE DOE is captured in stark relief, from Jane’s caustic personality to her vengeful mission and the corruption of the story’s secondary characters. Unfortunately, JANE DOE also suffers a bit from a tendency towards the overly-dramatic readers who prefer subtlety in their crime writing will find JANE DOE too repetitive and loud for their tastes. In many ways, JANE DOE achieves what it sets out to accomplish: this book is undeniably addictive and fresh, and more than holds its own against the (arguably a bit tired) trend of the “unreliable narrator.” Jane is exactly what she says she is-no more, no less. There are no false pretenses or veiled motivations here Jane has revenge on the brain, and she won’t stop until she gets what she wants. Protagonist Jane has crafted an identity for herself with a single end result in mind: she is going to become the perfect woman for a particular man, and then she is going to destroy him - just as he destroyed someone whom Jane holds dear. Victoria Helen Stone’s biting thriller centers around a woman whose sole motivation is revenge. I’ve been a big fan of Victoria Dahl and am now following her under this pseudonym.The Verdict: an addictive but slightly overdone revenge thrillerĪfter reading so very many “unreliable narrator” thrillers in the past couple years, the promise of a different kind of narrator - a woman whose intentions are clear, if morally questionable, from the outset - drew me to Victoria Helen Stone’s forthcoming psychological suspense novel JANE DOE. This was a Traveling Friends group selection and I’m really glad it was chosen.

If I were you, I’d grab some popcorn, find a comfy spot and enjoy the ride. I inhaled this book, not wanting to stop until I figured out what Jane had in store for Steven. It’s a credit to the writing that this character enthralls the reader so overwhelmingly and having a talented narrator made Jane three dimensional.

I felt guilty rooting for her but when you hear the story, it’s impossible to do otherwise. Jane’s obviously bright but she’s also witty, pretty funny and wickedly pragmatic. She doesn’t do anything but be her authentic self in seducing the reader into feeling some affinity for her. One thing you always know is true is that she will exact revenge on Steven and it will be epic. I chose to listen to this story and was that ever the right decision! The narrator completely captured Jane, a woman you’re never quite sure if she’s a sociopath or just plain cleverly diabolical. Why? You’ll need to read or listen to the book to find out. She’s taken 50 days of leave from her real job in Kuala Lumpur as an import-export attorney to exact revenge on middle manager Steven Hepsworth.

Jane is working at an insurance company in Minneapolis as a low level clerk.

Jane doe victoria