A Stabbing for Sadie is an interesting book. Told from the point of view of a young woman arrested for murder, it slowly reveals the story of how she got to that point. Sadie grew up with a Tiamata for a mother – a monstrous creature with a fierce tongue and claws ever ready to lash out. And Tiamata is never going to give up its hold on Sadie – not even after Sadie thinks she has escaped – it’s got a grip on her mind. The only solution Sadie can see is to kill it before it can kill her. But in Sadie’s battered and drug-numbed brain, are things really what they seem? Is Sadie a victim or a killer?

The narrator has a clear, well constructed voice, easily gaining empathy and sympathy from the reader as they follow Sadie’s story. We gain insight into the character from her reactions and interpretations of events and her responses to the people she meets. Smart truths lurk within the dreamlike prose. It occurred to me that it's a little reminiscent of Mark Haddon in style (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time).

It's a well written book that grabs the reader's interest from the start. Sometimes Sadie's diversions and rants can go on perhaps a little too long, but that's a minor fault, and they do all add to the reader's picture of her. This is a book I'm happy to recommend. Jump into Sadie's world for a while. It may make you appreciate your own world all the more...

A Stabbing for Sadie is available from StoneGarden.net Publishing, Amazon, and Borders.