false 991203 0446694932 9780446694933 12 4 Over Her Head http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180040801m/991203.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/991203.Over_Her_Head 498849 Shelley Bates 45 15 4 1 false Tue Sep 04 18:18:57 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 01 07:19:53 -0800 2008 Shelley Bates

During her morning run, Laurie Hale discovers the body of young girl. She becomes more shaken later when she finds out the dead girl’s mother is the newest member of her bible study group.

People around town are growing uneasy as the events of the girl’s last night alive come to light. Several teens were in attendance when the girl either fell or was pushed off the bridge. No one is talking or those that are talking seem to want to point the finger at Laurie’s daughter, Anna. According to Anna, she was no where near the bridge that night. Laurie chooses to believe her daughter despite their strained relationship.

When Anna becomes more of a suspect, Laurie begins to question her own daughter. Laurie soon finds her relationship as the bible study group leader becoming more and more awkward when she must face the fact someone is lying. What if Anna did have something to do with the girl’s death? Laurie must deal with these disturbing questions as her perfectly orchestrated life, family, marriage and church service begins to crumble.

This was a well written, well executed suspense. At times I disliked the protagonist. If the author wanted to paint Laurie Hale as a control freak, she certainly nailed the character development. Laurie had a tendency to be self-absorbed and controlling at the most awkward times. This weakness was upsetting, but at the same time represented human behavior as a whole. Humans tend to want things there way and nothing bad to ever touch them.

There are quite a few themes that run through this novel like the relationship struggles between parents and teenagers, single parenting, marriage struggles, grief, judgmental attitudes and forgiveness. Over Her Head offers something for readers of women’s fiction or suspense in one emotional fulfilling package.]]>