(101)Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I am going to share with you a little secret. Nothing scares me more than losing my mind. The argument could be made that I already have lost my mind, but I was referring more to Alzheimer's or Dementia. After reading Still Alice being mentally incapacitated became the stuff my nightmares are made of. So what if you commit a heinous crime while being mentally incapacitated?

Alice LaPlante has written the most terrifying murder mystery ever put on paper. Turn of Mind is a novel about Dr. Jennifer White. She was a renowned orthopedic surgeon before her diagnosis of dementia. She quit practicing medicine, hired a live-in caretaker and appointed her daughter power of attorney over her finances and her medical power of attorney. Because her bad days are more common than her good days, they essentially communicate through a notebook where they write everything down for Jennifer. It is on a bad day when Jennifer's best friend and neighbor is murdered. Three of her fingers have been surgically amputated. Did Jennifer really murder her best friend or was she being set up because her disease makes her a target?

I really, really enjoyed Turn of Mind. Alice LaPlante has done a phenomenal job of taking us into the daily life of an intelligent woman stricken with a horrible, horrible disease. We stay with Jennifer as her mind deteriorates, but it is her brief moments of clarity that give us insight into what really happened the day that Amanda was killed. Did Jennifer really murder her oldest, dearest friend, or is someone close to her taking advantage of her Dementia? Alice LaPlante has taken this murder mystery to a whole new level. If you love a good murder mystery, don't let this one pass you by!

Latest Instagrams

© Charlotte's Web of Books. Design by FCD.