Shelley Bates, Over Her Head

Over Her Head

Shelley Bates

Warner, May 2007, $12.99

ISBN: 0446694932

In the Pittsburgh commuting suburb of Glendale, Laurie Hale believes she is blessed by God. Her marriage is solid, and their two perfect children seem contented and adjusted; so much so, Laurie has high hopes for the futures of her fourteen year old daughter Anna and ten year old son Tim. She enjoys attending the women's Bible study group, as she is friends with all the members.

Perhaps her only "sin" is pride, as she is proud of her family members, her Bible club group, and her community. In fact, pride drives her to jog as size sixteen looms. However, the run ends abruptly when Laurie finds the murdered body of Randi, a student in Anna's class. She calls the police who investigate, and soon Anna and several other teens emerge as the prime suspects. Shattered, as her perfect illusion vanished in a blink, Laurie questions everything she believed in, including God and her marriage.

This is a strong inspirational whodunit, in which the heroine has her cocoon ripped apart by the police, suspecting her daughter as the killer. The shock to Laurie is a form of battle fatigue syndrome, as she evaluates the validity of all she thought were universal truisms, but now proves unreliable. Laurie is a great protagonist, holding the deep thriller together, as the townsfolk are stunned and want vengeance, while she and the other moms have no place to hide as their offspring are in deep trouble. OVER HER HEAD affirms that strong Christian messages can be interwoven into a powerful entertaining mystery.