Like A Knife is Annie Solomon's debut novel. It's a fairly interesting story, but it suffers from characters that are on the verge of being developed, but just never quite get there.

Basic Plot

Rachel had a tragic childhood - she witnessed her mother's brutal murder, then her father basically neglected her. Now an adult, her passion is helping other children with special needs. A woman with a good heart, she's left scarred from her past, afraid to get close to anyone, lest they "abandon" her, too.

Nick works for Rachel. Nick has a troubled past, too. His main father-figure and mentor was Rennie, your basic gun running mobster. Ever since Nick was a kid, Rennie groomed him for a life of crime. Only when one of Nick's "jobs" ended in sad tragedy for nameless little boy, did Nick decide to get out of Rennie's clutches and start his life anew.

But now Rennie's calling Nick back for a special job. Rennie just found out he has a child - a son who's been hidden from him for all these years. Rennie wants Nick to find the child. Knowing this will mean a bad life for the child, Nick refuses. But Rennie has ways of forcing Nick's hand… Go after the only thing that means anything to Nick - his fondness for Rachel. Thus Rachel becomes the bait that gets Nick back into Rennie's world.

Despite the obvious danger to themselves, Rachel and Nick, together, try to find and protect the child.

Thoughts

The story isn't bad. There's plenty of danger, plenty of action, and a little bit of suspense. When we finally "meet" the child, we can't help but feel for him. He's such a sad and lonely little boy. All we want is for him to be loved, and protected. And when it seems impossible to keep him safe, that's when the plot really goes into high gear! So, I have no complaint about the story, itself.

My complaints really have to do with the characters, and the way they are presented to us. Even after finishing the entire book, I still don't feel I "know" Rachel or Nick. Yes, I have been told about their tragic childhoods, but not in a way that I "felt" it. I read about their tragedies, but only as if in passing. Not in ways that made me really live through it, and thus come out with a true understanding about who these people are. Perhaps it would have been more effective, if we re-lived those tragic events through flashbacks. In doing so, we could have "felt" the sadness and terror along with the characters. Instead, we simply get to hear about past events in a matter-of-fact telling that evokes no emotions at all.

As a result, the characters, and thus this book, will be quite forgettable. I'd call it an "average" book, one you should pick up if you find it laying at the bus stop. But I wouldn't go out and buy this one. But I will happy to give Annie Solomon another try. Hopefully she'll continue to write interesting stories, but find a way to make her characters come alive in a way that lets the reader connect.


Recommended: No