Susan Richards Shreve, A Student of Living Things

A Student of Living Things

Susan Richards Shreve

Viking, May 2006, $24.95

ISBN 0670037583

Claire Frayn is a post graduate student majoring in biology at George Washington University; her brother Steven is studying law at the school and enjoys writing articles criticizing the government. Claire and Steven head to the university together while their parents debate his latest condemnation, this time of the Department of Justice's use of the Freedom for Democracy Act to trample on individual rights under the guise of keeping people safe. At the school's library, an assassin shoots and kills Steven right near Claire

Claire goes through the five steps of grief, but wants revenge against the killer who conveniently escapes law enforcement; however, she feels helpless as she has no idea who he or she is or how to uncover the culprit's identity. From Michigan, music composer Victor Duarte contacts Claire informing her he can help her with her need to avenge her sibling. She is enticed by his offer, as her family remains devastated by the tragedy and is not there for her. However, as Claire heals she begins to ponder who charismatic Victor is, as he seems to know too much, yet the second civil war in her mind began with that bullet on the library steps.

Though the introduction to the extended Frayn family takes its time, once Steven is murdered, the storyline turns into a terrific thriller that never slows down until the climax. Claire is a wonderful heroine struggling with the death of her brother, as much as with her feelings of hopelessness until Victor offers her an opportunity. Like Claire when she begins to regain her equilibrium and leave behind much of the fog of grief, readers will wonder if she has agreed to a Faustian deal. Readers will be a student of Susan Richards Shreve following this tense tale.