3 out of 4 stars
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The Obscure Truth by Juelle Christie is a crime thriller that follows Jerry Frye, a developing psychopath who rapes and murders a young student named Sophia Valdez after becoming obsessed with her. As the book goes on, we see those who try to track Jerry down, especially Giselle Bellamy, a young forensic scientist who obsesses over the Valdez case and finds herself strangely drawn to Jerry. What follows is a deadly game of cat and mouse that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. The book details Jerry's troubled childhood and provides a great deal of explanation of how he became what he is, drawing an intriguing psychological portrait that will surely please those who enjoy thrillers following serial killers.
One particular aspect I enjoyed was that the Christie didn't give any excuses for Jerry's actions. Instead, she provided his background as a way of explaining the impulses behind them, and to give the reader an insight into the state of mind of a murderer. Sophia Valdez is mourned and her family is appropriately devastated. Christie pulls no punches in this regard and makes it clear that Jerry's crime is unforgivable, seriously hurting Sophia's family and friends.
When it came to Jerry, I found that this book gave a detailed psychological portrait that provided a fascinating insight into the thoughts and reasonings of someone who kills others. Jerry is most definitely the most believable character who is, in a twisted way, completely relatable. After being abandoned by his brother and rejected by his mother, Jerry has severe issues with rejection. Yet, in many other ways, he's a normal person that the reader roots for. I began hoping he'd seek treatment for his issues and put his life back together for a majority of the book.
Yet, this book has a few flaws. To begin, sometimes too much detail is given when it isn't needed. For instance, the readers are hit with a deluge of detail about the investigators and their personal lives, such as the names and origins of their parents (who never appear in the book) and Giselle's father's accounting business. While some details become relevant (some in very clever ways that I appreciated), the vast majority do not. Jerry's past is certainly the longest and most detailed but it's also the one that's most relevant, since his history has a direct influence on his psyche and why he does what he does. As for many the other characters with long and detailed backstories, I appreciated the work that Christie did in building up her world but felt that much of it was not relevant.
Secondly, at times I felt that the dialogue was stilted, which took me out of the story. Most of the time, characters don't use contractions which isn't at all how normal people speak and made it difficult for me to 'hear' them in a believable way.
In addition, I felt that some of the romances, especially the romance between Giselle and Jerry, was not properly developed. I understand that there is a gap between the first date and later in the relationship that is skipped in the book, and this made it hard for me to feel the tension that should naturally follow since Giselle is investigating the murder that Jerry comitted. The readers are expected to believe that they fell in love without seeing any of it. So, in summary, I suppose that the book gives too much detail in some areas, and not enough in others.
Despite some flaws, I did enjoy this book. For those who are sensitive to subjects such as rape, I can't recommend this book, as the rape scene is pretty vivid. For most others who enjoy thrillers, I can recommend this book, knowing that the insight into the mind of a killer would please almost every fan of crime fiction. For a flawless depiction of a killer with some issues in the writing, I give The Obscure Truth 3 out of 4 stars.
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The Obscure Truth
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