Taryn Moore, a brilliant but self-centered college student, has a chip on her shoulder. Her dad left her and her mom years earlier to fend for themselves, and money has been tight ever since. Liam Reilly, Taryn's boyfriend since high school, dumped her for the fashionable, wealthy, and ambitious Elizabeth Whaley. One of the few bright spots in Taryn's life is Professor Jack Dorian's seminar, "Star-Crossed Lovers," a course that explores heartbreaking romantic relationships in literature. The syllabus includes a study of such ill-fated couples as Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard, Dido and Aeneas, and Jason and Medea. The class has special meaning for Taryn, a feminist who believes that men who betray their lovers should receive fitting retribution. She expresses this idea in a provocative paper, "Hell Hath No Fury: Violence and the Scorned Woman."

"Choose Me," by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver, is an engrossing thriller in which the authors employ several well-worn plot devices. Taryn is a possessive individual who does not take rejection well. She stalks and hounds Liam, and later sets her sights on her teacher, the married and dejected Jack Dorian, whose wife, Maggie, is a busy physician with little time for him. Predictable complications ensue, a key character dies tragically, and a pair of Boston detectives, the tough and savvy Frances "Frankie" Loomis and her partner, Mac, investigate this messy and depressing case.

The authors use foreshadowing, flashbacks, and alternating points of view effectively. Although the novel is clichéd at times, it holds our attention, since we are eager to learn who did what to whom and why. "Choose Me" explores such themes as the consequences of inappropriate behavior; the significance of trust in a marriage; and the ways in which an unhappy childhood can scar someone even after he or she has reached adulthood. The book focuses on flawed human beings who make appalling mistakes in judgment and pay for their transgressions. Although there is a far-fetched twist at the end, Gerritsen and Braver conclude this darkly humorous and entertaining work of fiction with a satisfying epilogue.
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This really had me quessing and I didn't quite figure out the answer I was looking for.....the twists and turns in the story worked! Great characters and fun to think about two authors working together to produce this page-turning book. ( )

"women pay the price when their passions threaten men.”
― Tess Gerritsen, Choose Me

Choose Me
by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

My review:

Have you ever had a book that showed hints of greatness?

Maybe the whole book wasn't a ten but elements of it were absolutely extraordinary? This is how I felt with "Choose me."

On the surface, the plot appears nothing more then the tragic tale of a young woman's fall from a window. Or was it a fall? Was it suicide? Could it have been murder? It is up to a stoic Police Officer by the name of Frankie to find out.

There is so much more crackling beneath the surface of this book. While it is seemingly your standard Police procedural mixed with some naughty "gone wrong" romance, there is more to it then that.

Choose me grapples with the question of passion. And sin. What happens when you play by the rules all your life? What happens when you think you are a good person-and then engage in behavior that until the moment you do it, you'd always thought was behavior that was beneath you?

There are elements of Shakespearean tragedy to "Choose me." You can see aspects of other great books as well. One of my favorite books in the world is called "Damage" by Josephine Hart and if you are lucky enough to have read that, you may understand what I am trying to tell you with "Choose me." Because this book reminded me so much of Damage.

It also reminded me of the book, "The Drowning girls". This was also a book I enjoyed greatly. Forbidden fruit is not a new theme in literature but when done well, it holds much power. I was mesmerized by aspects of Choose me.

And this book contains much Historical aspects as well. The themes of Greek Mythology are huge and as I am a fan of the subject, that appealed to me.

The characters are etched in shades of gray. No one character is all good or all bad, although at times that would not seem to be the case. And although my opinion will not be popular, there were times I felt for Taryn. Did I also at times despise her? Oh yes! But all of the characters are complex.

And so yes, the book was good. I would give it 3.5 stars. The reason I cannot go higher is because of the same problem that plagues many books. It simply became to unreal.

As we get closer to the end, many things happen that caused me to raise my eyebrows and shake my head in disbelief. The thing about great tragic books is that they never feel like books. But toward the end-well-for me anyway-this became very much like the standard thriller. Elements made no sense. Characters did things that were not needed. It started to feel like twists for the sake of twists. And by the end, I was a bit exhausted.

That doesn't mean I did not like the book. I did and would recommended it. But I didn't LOVE it. It would be more accurate to say I loved aspects of it.

SPOILERS:

I was actually glad John lived so I had no issue with that nor the fact that Maggie and Frankie became friends. My problem was the fact that John got shot in the first place. It was obviously done to move the plot along. I was let down, I'll admit. There wasn't any need for that. And making Charlie the one who shot him was bizarre.

Also I could not figure out what Cody's purpose in the book was. I felt like his whole arc changed very suddenly and I wish the end, where they're all in the house and bullets start ringing out could have been omitted. It should have been just an intense scene with John and Charlie.

It seems every book these days, has to have crazy stuff happen at the end and most people I know do not like that. It's a long time from Gone Girl. And the book is good enough on its own that no real twist was even needed. I will say I was pretty sure who did it from almost the beginning.

So, I would rate this a three although I wish GR would allow for .5 ratings. I'd recommend it but you have to suspend some disbelief as the book goes on. ( )

Hell hath no fury...

A crime drama which begins with a death. This book covers grief, death, cheating and betrayal, and has the reader questioning their response to the death of one of the protagonists. It is cleverly written and twists and turns to keep you guessing. I enjoyed it, yet can't seem to give it 5stars. ( )

I love Tess Gerritsen, so I was curious to read a book co-authored by her.

College student Taryn Moore is found dead of an apparent suicide. With a bright future ahead of her, it didn't seem to make sense. When Detective Frankie Loomis delves deeper, she uncovers secrets, including secrets involving Taryn's ex-boyfriend Liam and English professor Jack Dorian. Was it suicide or murder?

The book is divided into "Before" and "After" sections, meaning before and after Taryn's death. I didn't find the "before" chapters all that interesting. Taryn was an irritating and slightly unhinged person, and the premise has been done ad nauseum in other books and movies. I found the "after" chapters -- which focused on the police investigation -- much more interesting. The "after" chapters rated 4 stars, and the "before" chapters rated 2 stars, so I gave the book an overall average of 3 stars. It's not that the book was bad; it was actually well written and mildly entertaining. It's just that the theme has been done so much already; there was just nothing original about it. Even the twist at the end wasn't all that shocking. ( )

This started out well, but rapidly became quite sad and tawdry. There was a constant focus on how attractive each character was, and the author clearly believes being significantly underweight is an excellent thing, much better than being a 'misshapen lump' like Cody. While I have no argument with the rights of women to be angry and to express their anger, I consider that the world would be a better place without people like the destructive Taryn in it. ( )

While reading this book it became quite apparent it was written by two authors, as, at least in my opinion, many parts really felt like they didn’t gel. I’ve read a number of Tess Gerritsen books in the past, but this I have to say is one of the poorest efforts. ( )