Convergence - Ginny L. Yttrup

What a ride! This book is as twisting and emotionally charged as a trip down the Kaweah whitewater rapids! With nail-biting suspense, the unyielding pace of the narrative never relents, and although this is not a horror novel, the creep factor was real enough and the scenario so plausible on a certain level that I would not want to read this while home alone. There was enough tension to keep the pages turning at a rapid pace, and the author set up a chilling degree of apprehension. I thought that the ordeal of PTSD and the psychological aspect of trauma enhanced the story, particularly given that Denilyn Rossi was herself a psychologist. This is as much a psychological thriller as it is a suspense novel. The Christian element is mostly subtle but does become more prevalent toward the end.

My bone of contention with “Convergence” is its execution. Initially I attributed my confusion to the fact that I went into this book blind because I prefer not to read the summary, especially for this genre, but even afterward, when I did explore the synopsis, I realized that it would not have put me any farther ahead. Overall, I thought that this was a great story, but it was bogged down by too many complexities, which only multiplied as the story progressed. The shifting dual first-person narrative viewpoints and two different time settings made it difficult to stay abreast of what was happening to whom and when. Without giving any spoilers, this issue becomes even more complicated toward the novel’s denouement. Speaking of which, I had to step back and rethink the book from the beginning when the puzzle pieces began falling into place. Still, things did not quite fit for me with regard to Denilyn and Adelia. One of the main objects of psychological thrillers is to shock the reader, but in this case everything felt too contrived and bewildering, vacillating from one side to the other until the story became a Gordian knot of sorts. Nevertheless, I truly did enjoy this story and would recommend it to those who don’t mind a wild ride full of intricacies and revelations.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.