Question Q

[Jonetta]

Can we talk about Helen? Your thoughts about her, her motivations and the carnage she wreaked on two little girls and others?

[Lynn]

I just have a lot of trouble understanding how someone who has done what she has done for most of her adult life, could mastermind this kidnapping scheme without some motivation other than just her retirement. There needed to be something in addition to the retirement - maybe she was kidnapped as a child or had a sibling kidnapped - something.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

This resolution was a bit out of left field.

To put into plan this awful plot to kidnap two little girls because you were retired unfairly in your own mind.. it seems Helen had some undiagnosed mental health issue. It was really cold. Either that or she wasn't very intelligent and didn't think the ramifications through. I didn't think the resolution was as well plotted as the previous book to be honest.

[Robin]

It was revenge against the system who was forcing her to retire. She was going to use the job to make sure she got the money. She had no plans for the girls to actually be harmed, so she thought it wouldn't really hurt anything. Very dumb of her.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Yes, I agree Robin. I don't think that resolution was as strong as some of the previous books.

[Lauren]

Helen's motivation was the weakest aspect of the story for me.

The explanation that she was angry about being forced to retire didn't wash for me. She was a dedicated officer for her entire career. I can't see someone like that deliberately targeting children.

The idea that she thought the girls would not be harmed doesn't fly either because she had years of experience with criminals and knew better. Her actions are too sociopathic and do not fit her character.

[Jonetta]

I felt Helen led a duplicitous life all along. She might have believed she gave all to her career but her achievements seem to be higher in her own mind than what she accomplished. She was forced to retire because she hadn’t moved forward in the department and her position was easiest to be eliminated. Helen felt like she sacrificed having a relationship and family for the job but I contend she didn’t want them. It made me consider that she was one of those sociopaths that is pretty effective at hiding her tendencies under that veneer but you get a sense that it’s not real.

How can you befriend a lonely woman for the sole purpose of using her for this kind of scheme? That took months. And, if she cared about those girls, she would have taken care to make certain of their well being. Subjecting them to these two men was horrid and she was aware that they were being mentally tortured.

No, I thought this woman stayed in character from start to finish. Something was always a little off about her to me.

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch]

I also thought her motivation was weak and I agree with Lauren. I also thought the author's motivation with this was about Kim as well. Helen mentioned something about Kim ended up with nothing after giving so much to her career. So maybe a way to also develop Kim's character to become more of a warmer character.

[Jonetta]

Kim’s got Barney😏