BOOK REVIEW - The Girl Who Couldn't Say No (OT Novel)

[Mike]

The Girl Who Couldn't Say No by Jack V. Hattem, Ph.D. © 2012
Outskirts Press ISBN: 978-1-4327-8208-5 252 pages
Paperback $10.95 (U.S.)

The problem with psychological thrillers tends to be found at one
extreme or the other – either they are so convoluted they are
impossible to follow, or they are extremely simplistic. Doctor Hattem
has managed to walk the middle line with this gripping tale. The
central character, Virginia, come across as someone you might possibly
have met in your own life. She is that often mousy little (okay, not
so little, she stands nearly six feet tall in her stocking feet) girl
who sat next to you in some of your college classes. She is that girl
who is so stunningly gorgeous you wouldn't dare ask her out on a date,
for surely she would be booked solid for years into the future. She
is, in other words, extremely striking in an “ordinary” kind of way.

Her life is heaped with abuse, ranging from familial incest at a
fairly early age, to men who just can't seem to behave themselves. She
radiates a sense of fearfulness and timidity which just draws the
abusers to her. She recognizes the weaknesses in her personality and
does her best to avoid putting herself in a position where she can be
taken advantage of, and she succeeds for the most part. Therein lies
the problem – she succeeds for the most part.

Almost as soon as she realizes the problem (and she learns that before
she leaves home) she knows she must avoid certain situations.
Unfortunately for her, those situations are the ones which a young
woman is least equipped to avoid. When her avoidance techniques fail
her, she allows herself to get close to people. This doesn't always
lead to disaster, but it does so often enough for her to have major
problems in her life.

Three men she has been intimate with are found dead. For the
authorities there is nothing to connect them as their deaths span six
years and three states. Unfortunately for Virginia, she drinks heavily
when in these situations and has no memory of what occurred while she
under the effects of the alcohol. Thus she is unable to provide
herself with an alibi.

She takes up the study of psychology to better understand herself, but
even a better understanding cannot help her avoid all the dangers.

She is convinced, on at least some level, that she is being stalked.
Could her stalker be the killer? Is she the killer? The police and the
District Attorney think so, and are working on that assumption. Then
at her arraignment things get REALLY bizarre.

That's all I'm going to say about the climax of the book.

Overall, the quality of the story-telling is so good I almost didn't
catch the occasional editing glitches (which are much fewer than I
have come to expect). This was a well-crafted story, and I am glad I
decided to ask to review it. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea -
there is a certain level of depravity brought to light, and the
violence (although not pervasive) is fairly disturbing – I do not
hesitate to recommend it to adult readers. The fact that Dr. Hattem is
a clinical psychologist who has treated patients with Borderline
Personality Disorder makes this book all the more compelling.