Green Girls

by Michael Kimball

A writer, a father, a husband, the owner of a strictly ordered life, Jacob Winter is not a man prone to violence -- until the day he walks in unexpectedly on his wife's affair. Awakening in a small-town Maine jail with no memory of his alleged rampage, he is bailed out by Alix Callahan, a mysterious ethnobotanist who claims to own a small piece of his past. Drawn into her obsessive relationship with July, an exotic Indian beauty from the rainforests of South America, Jacob is simultaneously mesmerized and unnerved by the two women's strange erotic dance as his meticulously controlled world slips even farther out of its orbit -- leading him to a clandestine meeting at the top of a bridge, where he helplessly watches Alix plunge 250 feet into the raging waters below. A suicide, a murder, neither, or both pull Jacob Winter into a twisted game of dark deceptions and psychological terror, one that could destroy his sanity and his soul.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

Paperback

First published December 3, 2002

Reviews

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob Walsh's life starts falling apart after he's arrested for assaulting his wife's boss, convinced that the two are having an affair. He's bailed out by Alix Callahan, a former classmate back in university that he barely ever spoke to. Through Alix, he meets her bisexual lover, July. When Alix seemingly jumps to her death from a bridge, things only get more complex as he becomes closer and closer to July. There's also the matter of July's ex-husband, a shaman by the name of Sereno, who has escaped from jail. He was put in there for trying to murder her...

Enjoyable, if predictable, thriller. It was all a bit unlikely, and most of the trouble that went down could have been avoided if people had actually talked to each other like normal people. I couldn't stand Jacob's wife, Laura. What is it with male authors around this time creating ex-wives for their protagonists who are such utter bitches and shrews? There was also too much nonsense regarding the book Jacob was writing about a bridge. I know it was supposed to be some sort of metaphor (at least that's what I'm assuming), but the excerpts from it do nothing but grind the pace to a halt.

However, after the last couple of abominations I read courtesy of the Harlequin Intrigue line, it was refreshing and fun to immerse myself in a thriller where stuff actually happened. Once I picked this up, despite its flaws, I had trouble putting it down.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Painfully awkward, in my opinion, though glowing blurb by Stephen King and others. I found the sentences and structure and character development so awkward and disconnected as to be too distracting to even get into the plot line, which revolved around Jacob, a writer, in marital difficulty, involved with the "green girls", some kind of florists with poisoness frogs, a shamen in prison, etc. Meant to be a cliff-hanger, I finally finished it. Disappointing."

[Grace Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off well but then the middle was so boring but luckily the ending was good.
Honestly if you like thriller or suspense this book is for you.
But to me it was just an ok book.
So the story starts with a man named Jacob that was arrested for assaulting his wife’s lover and is bailed out by and old college friend “Alix” and stuff happens but Alix calls Jacob to meet at a bridge and “July” Alix’s girlfriend is apparently scared of Alix and that she might hurt her and Jacob so she shoots Alix and falls off the bridge. From there the story unfolds.

The story itself is very interesting, Jacob in my opinion is the dumbest main character of a book I have ever read, like when July would always say that Alix was crazy even though July was always following him, answering his phone and constantly getting angry for mentioning his wife or any other women even though they weren’t even together. How did he not see that July was a psycho from the start?

I also had an issue with Jacob’s wife “Laura” because she cheated on her husband with a man that known for not being able to maintain relationships all because of money. She’s basically threw away her marriage because she was a gold digger.

I loved Squeaky because he was real and his story with Laura’s mom was sad and a bit funny.
The rest of the characters were okay and just there to fill the story.

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob Winter (author, carpenter, part-time dispatcher) spent two nights in jail for an incident he doesn't fully remember. He thinks he came home and found his wife Laura, the receptionist for a psychologist, and her boss having a cozy candlelight dinner. But did he imagine it? Price Ashworth does, after all, use hypnosis in his therapy. His wife leaves his suitcase at the police station, an unknown woman (Alix) pays his bail. But all Jacob can think of is his 10-year-old son Max who Price wants to send off to an Academy on the West Coast. In Jacob's attempt to discover something about the mysterious Alix, he witnesses her fall from a bridge, gets tangled in the strange behavior of her roommate, learns there's an irate ex-husband (a shaman) who just escaped from prison, corrupt police, millions in missing stolen money, and that the lives of himself and his family are in danger. Despite all of the interference, Jacob actually manages to write a novel.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book was pretty good and suspenseful, but when the story started unwinding there was no logic in anybody's actions: neither main hero's, nor his son's, nor the murderous shaman who was killing people right and left, nor both women. Jumpy narration does not help. It appears that no contemporary writer is capable of presenting a coherent narration without jumping back and forth in time and space.

[Britt Beee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it out, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. It was very entertaining and thrilling.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected, so many twists and turns. Nothing is as what it seems! I will definitely be reading more of this author.

[Tassha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok I guess. Not the 1st homicidal story to center around jealousy. Won’t be the last

[Carol Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually started to read it, and then put the book aside because I did find it to be a bit awkward. But in full transparency, I came down with a virus and was reading anything I could put my hands on out of pure boredom and I picked it up again. It not only kept my attention off of my annoying symptoms but I really enjoyed it! Slick, twisted, suspenseful, and great drama.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I gave this 4 stars and I can't remember what the hell it's about.
Ok, I looked it up, I remember now. It was pretty good, I thought, for murder/thriller type. Kind of intriguing, the way the story is set up. I couldn't predict what was going to happen. The main character is a writer and the way his books are described they sound like something you'd have to slog through in some college lit class.

[Casey Ols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy to read book. Different type of story but I really got into it. About a guy who's wife cheat on him and then his life falls apart. He gets hooked up with the wrong type of people and before he knows it he is scared for his life. But then it gets wrost. Not only does he have to pertect himself he has to pertect his son. It was an ok story like I said easy to read.

[Pa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the tale of an author who is arrested for assaulting his wife's psychiatrist (and lover?) and trashing his house, and whose bail is paid by a lesbian former college classmate who he hardly knew. Before it ends, the tale involves drugs, poison darts, shamanism, and a plethora of odd behaviors and occurrences. A few interesting plot twists and not a bad read overall.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Green Girls is a well structured and breathtaking thriller. It's more about the protagonist and his relationships then about the whodunit. Add a skosh of jealousy addled psychos and a South American Kogi Shaman, who escaped from prison to presumably kill his ex wife and you got a genre piece that doesn't get lost in the formula clichés. The sentence structure and pacing are fabulous. Intelligent

[Jake Danishevsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a while back and remember that I really liked it. It has suspense and some interesting turns. Don't remember too much detail and also read the paperback, but for some reason, didn't see it in another format, so just decided to rate this version with a comment.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a mystery in here, but I figured it out way before the main character did. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, and it's a quick, easy read.

[Nessa Borealis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes both the Kittery Bridge and the sweaty, sopping jungle into vivid settings is unique indeed. This is a suspenseful page-turner that seems to ferment as you read it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club Book

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a thriller! Much better than I expected considering the main character is a famous writer living in Maine. I thought it would be a terrible King knockoff, but was pleasantly surprised.

[Jeff Wax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimball's mystery fit the text-book definition of a "pages turner". If you like the mystery genre akin to Dennis Lehane this book is one you must read.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Great whodunit without the police and police procedurals being the focal point. First of his books I have read, and I will read others.

[Rick Bayko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jealousy, cheating, murder, mystery, and weirdness on the Maine/New Hampshire border. Good stuff.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main character interesting and complex. Plot progresses well with some twists

[Andrew Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but different. Not sure that I would recommend this book.