An intensely consuming reading experience.
Independent and fierce, Desi is a force to be reckoned with. And adoring Eric is content with her as a life partner, even though Desi’s stubbornness clouds her judgment from time to time. Taking advantage of a family cabin in Southern California, the couple’s short vacation getaway unexpectedly turns into a crime scene. Upon returning from a hike, they discover some unfamiliar men chopping wood on the property. Before Eric can find out what the men want, he is attacked with an axe and left bound and gagged in the trunk of his own car. Precisely what happens to Desi is a mystery since she is reluctant to speak about the traumatic ordeal. Convinced she was raped, Eric urges Desi to pursue appropriate medical care and testing. Obstinate as ever, Desi insists she is fine, although broken bones, blood-stained skin, and missing clothing suggest otherwise. As if being assaulted by strangers wasn’t enough of a trauma, Eric is devastated by more bad news when two officers arrive, informing him that the axe-wielding men have been found dead in the cabin and Desi is the prime suspect. Accused of a double homicide, Desi’s uncertain future awakens memories of a past she’d rather forget. Pieces start to fall into place, but will this couple’s love be strong enough to triumph over such a devastating ordeal?
When a weekend getaway becomes a living nightmare, Eric and Desi find that emotional damage can be more painful than physical harm. The frustration radiates from the pages as this couple, bonded in love but torn apart by trauma, struggles to relate to one another in the aftermath of a single, life-changing incident. With unparalleled skill, Linda Griffin engulfs readers in a haze of tension that begins in the first few paragraphs and increases throughout the biting story. Key phrases and well-chosen dialogue firm up the dynamics between Desi and Eric, though we only get to know them in this period of turmoil. The way the author avoids laying out the grisly details of the titular attack is deliberate and successful. Without the burden of a gratuitous scene that could divert the purposeful flow of an impactful story, aspects of the assault are conveyed through searing conversation and poignant recollections, delivering maximum emotional impact. A compelling relationship drama with an undercurrent of mystery, The Axe turns an inhumane atrocity into an intensely consuming reading experience.
