Empty Shell by Ashley Fontainne is a murder mystery with an inspirational twist. And yet is it a murder mystery? Was it actually a murder? If it was, is the killer actually a mystery, or do we already know who it was? …perhaps we should refer to it as a puzzle book, as the words murder and mystery are strongly called into question throughout this novel. Should we be solving it, or do we already know what’s happened? Can we trust what we’re seeing, or is there more to the story?
Melody and Jack Dickinson have been married for many years, but the happiness has gradually faded through their many unsuccessful attempts to conceive. One morning a non-committal Melody watches her husband throw a screeching alarm clock at the wall, and wanders downstairs half-amused and half-irritated with his attitude…until she stumbles across hot pink panties and a hotel receipt in her husband’s briefcase, and then she’s ready to throw him. A confrontation ensues and Melody races to work, ready to tell the new secretary at the law firm where she works exactly what she thinks of the little ass screwing her husband─only to discover her secretary was found dead that weekend in a hotel, the very hotel Melody just found a receipt for, strangled by a pair of pink panties.
In shock Melody watches as her cheating husband is arrested and thrown into jail, the evidence against him overwhelming. She hires the best defense attorney in the area and heads for seclusion, unsure how to process the abrupt change of direction her life has taken. A wife doesn’t want to believe her husband could be guilty of murder, but she didn’t think he would cheat on her, either…and the evidence all points to Jack.
The saying goes “when it rains, it pours” and it’s pouring in Melody’s life, figuratively and literally. Her mother is in frail health, made worse by the shock of the circumstances, her husband is in jail and may or may not be safe─not to mention the question of his guilt─and Melody has a few secrets of her own demanding to resurface.
Empty Shell is told from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader into the mind of different parties as they seek justice and cope with their burdens through different means. I really enjoyed the multiple perspective arc because it allowed the reader to get an insider scoop without spoiling the actual plotline. Fontainne is a strong plot writer with distinct characters and a great skill for weaving inspirational messages of faith, trust and forgiveness into unique situations. Although the plot pours quite a lot on the characters and leaves you feeling like a tornado has struck, it was a quite interesting read I would recommend!
musings of a reader. 