Book Review: Don't Go

Although she is listed as a New York Times bestselling author, I had never heard of Lisa Scottoline before.  I was swept in by the cover and the inside cover description.  Her writing was easy to read and kept me deeply engaged in the story as it unfolded.

Dr. Mike Scanlon is an army doctor serving in Afghanistan.  He realizes that his service puts a strain on his wife and infant daughter, but cannot know how significant his absence will be until he learns that his wife has died in a household accident.  He comes home on a short leave, to lay her to rest, and learns some things about her that he hadn't expected.  Plus, he finds he feels ever more distant from his one remaining family member, his infant daughter.  Leaving his daughter in the care and guardianship of her aunt and uncle, Dr. Scanlon returns to Afghanistan for another year, until he loses his arm in a skirmish.  Although he is considered a war-hero, he doesn't feel like it and he finds that his life is utterly falling apart when he returns to re-establish things on the home-front.  Will he be able to navigate new waters for employment, reclaim his daughter and rekindle their relationship, and also figure out the missing links in the story of his wife's death?

I must say, I never grew fond of any of the characters in this book.  I didn't like Dr. Scanlon or his associates.  I didn't like the aunt and uncle.  So, I never felt myself pulling for any character in the book.  While it was a great story and I was riveted to the page, eager to find out all of the missing details, I never connected with the characters and that's too bad.

Plus, I think the cover illustration led me to expect the story to go into a deeper father-daughter relationship, while really the time-line of the story on leads up until the infant is two.  So, I found the cover to be misleading, despite it being the original pulling point in my selecting the book.  We never really see the warm, loving relationship portrayed on the cover.

Although the story ended on a hopeful note, the ending reversed the previous tensions a bit too quickly and wrapped things up in a tidier way than expected.  I'm not saying I didn't like the book, because I did enjoy the read, but these were some of the concerns I had.  If you are interested in books which explore the difficulty soldiers experience in returning to their lives at home, then this is definitely one you should read.  If you like mysteries that deal with relational conflicts, this is a good bet.  It is a well-written story, with excellent pacing and character development. I would give it 3-1/2 stars.