Forever Breathless - Shirley Spain
“ You’ve been punched in the face. You’re disoriented. Everything’s a blur. The killer throws you into a body bag and zips you up inside. What will you do? Zoelle Spencer is divorced and looking for love. While working as a water fitness instructor at the local rec center, she meets several eligible bachelors including a handsome firefighter and several men in the Corvette club. One of them is a serial killer and has his sights set on her. Every five years, Franklin Wayne Bannock hunts for a new “Mary Beth” to torture, kill, and encase in a heavy-duty body bag for induction into his Forever Breathless collection. Two weeks before the class of 1975 was slated to graduate from high school, Wayne committed his first murder by killing the secret love of his life, Mary Beth Huntsman. Shortly thereafter, he moved. After changing his name and altering his appearance, in the spring of 1981 he returned to his hometown to celebrate his first murder with a ritualistic killing of a woman he named Mary Beth, 1981. Intelligent and charismatic, for thirty-five years Bannock has eluded law enforcement and believes he will never be caught. With his fortieth class reunion just around the corner, he’s on the prowl for his next victim, Mary Beth, 2016. Bannock is particular about his Mary Beths. He seeks an attractive single woman about his same age. She must have long auburn hair, work at a job dealing with the public, and be easily manipulated by flattery. Zoelle Spencer fits his criteria. Could the killer be operating as Glenn Fischer, aka Mr. April the firefighter calendar hunk? Joe Davenport, the sexiest single man west of the Mississippi? The rec center’s resident pervert, Willard Kent? Or one of the dashing men in the Corvette club? Will Zoelle find true love … or become Forever Breathless? “
I received this book for free from Voracious Readers. I recently signed up to Voracious Readers. You choose your favorite genres and they send you several emails per day telling you about different books, according to your preferences.
I’ve never read many mysteries/thriller books. I love Stephen King’s books but that’s basically all I’ve read of this genre.
I wasn’t that impressed with Forever Breathless. I kept reading, which is a good sign but, less than halfway through, I was reading to be sure I knew who the killer was and to say I finished it.
I discovered who the killer was a little bit over halfway the book. The author kept trying to make us change our mind about the killer by introducing three possible killers. Sometimes, though, it was too obvious that the author was making it on purpose, for example, when they all had cuts on their hands.
If the author hadn’t kept saying that the protagonists were 60 something, I would never have believed it. I’m not saying that 60 something people have to act a certain way, but in this book, they certainly don’t have characteristics or mannerisms that portray them as 60s. Instead, they all act like 20s something. The protagonist is really really naive and annoying. I did not care for her at all.
Besides being naive, she is not likable. She gets all these feelings and sudden rush of emotions as if she’s a horny teenager. She keeps thing about the “firepole” of Glenn and pretty much falls head over heels over Joe when he compliments her on getting thinner. She’s a woman always looking for reassurance that she is pretty and that someone is noting her. This trait could have made her a likable character, because we could have bonded with her. Instead, she acts like a teenager and is as naive as one. Who the hell rushes into danger, knowing there’s a killer? Who the hell goes after a killer?
And, who, when with a gun and knowing someone would get hurt, doesn’t do a thing? She was fit, for god’s sake! Okay, she could have been frozen with fear one time, but 2 times? He almost killed 2 cops because she didn’t do a thing.
And she kept shaming her friend for being rapped! So her friend can’t go to a guy’s place wanting to have sex? Yes, he was known as a sexual pervert but there’s a big difference between a sexual pervert and a rappist.
I liked the fact that we sometimes got the insight of the killer’s mind, but I woul dhave liked more explanation of his childhood, more descriptions. Alternatively, the cop’s point of view is barely mentioned. Only in the beginning and in the end. That’s a shame because they are some of the most interesting chapters, which is saying a lot.
I don’t buy the end. It was very very forced and I kept waiting for the to end. It could have ended several chapters before and nothing would be lost. In fact, it woul have been better because of the very failed attempt at a plot-twist. The fact that this is a stand-alone book makes the plot-twist seem a very feeble attempt to leave the readers wondering who called her.
The book did make me want to finish it, even if only to be sure of the identity of the killer. I didn’t catch any grammar errors. If they exist, they didn’t make me want to gauge my eyes out, as it recently happened with another Voracious Readers’ book, so that’s a plus.
Sadly, it didn’t make me nervous or scared or even tempted to keep reading because I was scared. It didn’t even thrilled me. I read it with a very bored expression, actually. It didn’t grip me like Stephen King’s books, either. It didn’t have any gore (in my opinion) and it all felt rather lame. I get that it’s a tough genre but it was a sad attempt.
Overall: 5/10
