South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Kubica spins the ordinary into dangerous twists
Mary Kubica excels at creating viable suspense from situations that at first seem normal but soon grow out of control, as she proves in “She’s Not Sorry,” her ninth novel.
ICU nurse Meghan Michaels finds her life spiraling beyond understanding. She is walking into a store to pick up some groceries when the next minute she receives a phone call that shatters her life.
That phone call is just the start of the many twists and plot threads that Kubica introduces into the gripping “She’s Not Sorry.” After that phone call, the action switches to the Chicago hospital where Meghan’s new patient is a young woman who threw herself off a bridge, landing on railroad tracks below. Initially it’s believed the woman tried to commit suicide, but the police begin to believe it was attempted murder. The case consumes Meghan at work.
Off work, Meghan runs into Natalie Cohen, a woman she hasn’t seen since high school, as they both are entering the same divorce support group. Meghan believes Natalie is being abused by her ex-husband and tries to help her. Meanwhile, Meghan worries about the safety of her teenage daughter, Sienna, who is home alone much of the time. Meghan also is concerned that she and Sienna may be growing apart.
Kubica pulls each of these seemingly innocuous moments into dangerladen scenes that are all the more gripping for their realism. Myriad twists add to the tension that elevates “She’s Not Sorry.” Kubica thoughtfully sculpts Meghan as a compassionate nurse whose desire to help expands beyond the ICU. Sienna’s teenage angst and desire to show her independence make a believable subplot.
The Chicago scenery works as a character in itself. Meghan’s time at work may bring flashbacks to being in a hospital.
A reader can never be sorry spending time in Kubica’s world.
Meet the author
Mary Kubica will discuss “She’s Not Sorry” with moderator Oline H. Cogdill at 3:30 p.m. April 6 at the Hagen Ranch Road Branch, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach, 561-894-7500, as part of the annual Writers LIVE! program. Registration is free but required. Visit pbclibrary.bibliocommons. com/events to register.