Swan Deception

 Swan Deception  by Glede Browne Kabongo    411 pages

Dr. Shelby Cooper is a scientist in the field of bioinformatics. I never did understand what that is, but fortunately, in this novel that is not an issue. It’s what Shelby does, not who she is. She is a wife to Jason, a mother to Abbie and Miles, and a best friend to Vivian, but unfortunately, she is also Alessandro’s mistress. And that’s not the only secret she’s trying to keep.

Shelby has a past that no one, except Vivian, knows about and she has perfected the lies that keep is buried way down deep.  But a mysterious stalker soon enters the picture, killing Alessandro and setting Shelby up to take the rap. And it all starts innocently enough when she is pulled over for a broken taillight.

Browne Kabongo does an excellent job in keeping the reader off balance, pretty sure of what’s going on, but not one hundred percent confident that what they are reading is the truth…or even a facsimile what they think is happening.

The screws around the deconstruction of Shelby’s life get tighter and tighter with every page. However the novel is not without its flaws. The first 178 pages have a tense problem. I t drove me nuts, but not enough to stop reading, which is an indication of how well Browne Kabongo tells a story.

Another issue is when the identity of the stalker is finally revealed, it doesn’t seem possible. If there had been more of an explanation, I probably would have bought it, but without one, I felt setup and cheated.

Then there is bombshell that Browne Kabongo drops at the very end that really ticked me off.  There was a unresolved thread that lurked, but as I got closer and closer to the end, I was willing to let it go, figuring it would be explained in a follow-up novel. There is no foreshadowing of that tidbit of information, which added to my irritation.

So, I guess you can say that this review is full of mixed emotions. Browne Kabongo obviously has talent and can write, but she needs a good editor. For this reason, Swan Deception receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.