Review of THE WRONG MAN by Christine D. LeBlanc

 3.5 Stars

This book review is a first for me; I’ve previously reviewed books written by friends and colleagues, but this is my first review of a book written by a former student.  (The author took two senior English classes with me about 30 years ago.) 

I’ve recently read a number of serious and very lengthy novels so I was looking for something lighter and shorter; this one fit the bill. 

Macy Carruthers sets out to help an old family friend when he is being blackmailed over an event which took place decades earlier, in 1950.  Coming to Vaughn’s aid means making contact with family from whom she has maintained a distance, especially her brother Derek and his criminal past.  She also has to enlist the help of Joshua, Derek’s best friend and her high school boyfriend.  And then their secretive friend Thomas becomes involved, a man to whom Macy is attracted though she is reluctant to trust him. 

The book is an amalgam of genres.  There’s mystery, though I found there was not much tension as the investigation proceeds slowly.  Some elements are predictable; astute readers will certainly not be astonished by the reveal at the end.  The romance tends to take precedence, and more than one romance trope makes an appearance. 

It is the family drama that I found most interesting.  Macy wants to escape her past and her family’s discreditable history; she finds security clearance background checks for employment opportunities are problematic “as her name often came up as a witness or alibi or next of kin in other people’s records.”  She “turned away in shame” from her family, “ran off to university and didn’t look back.”  She has kept her distance from her brother, though she remembers good times with him from her childhood.  In fact, she followed him everywhere.  Derek, on the other hand, has been hurt by her abandonment though his pride in his smart, hard-working sister is noticed by Thomas.   

The characterization of Macy also impresses.  She is complicated and flawed; in other words, she is realistic.  Her façade suggests a strong, confident, independent woman, but she has many fears and insecurities.  For instance, she has a “fear of never escaping her old life, of never being good enough.”  She wants a life “in which she was untouchable, bulletproof” but in the process has found herself feeling empty.  I love dynamic characters, and Macy does experience some growth. 

I also appreciated the touches of humour.  There are throwaway lines like the one about the important role of dentists in romances.  And there is a scene bordering on slapstick where a baseball nearly hits one person in the face, another is “socked in the stomach,” and a third lands “with a thud on her butt.” 

This is a refreshing read, light and breezy with no aura of pretentiousness.  It’s exactly what I needed after some hefty books whose sheer size aggravated my arthritis.  Anyone wanting an entertaining book which also has some depth should pick up this one.  It’s certain to brighten up a dark, winter night.