A Hapless Employee is 'Terminated' with Extreme Prejudice

Review: TERMINATED (Leisure - Kindle Edition 2010)
Author: Simon Wood

TERMINATED is one of those books that feels just a little too real for comfort. Anyone who knows anything about stalkers knows that they can be obsessive to the point of being dangerous. Stephen Tarbell is such a person. When his recently-promoted boss, Gwen Farris, has the temerity to give him a less-than-stellar employee evaluation, Tarbell (who feels he was robbed of the promotion) strikes out at her. His first step is a physical attack, but as matters escalate and Gwen seeks protection, Tarbell's anger toward her grows like a malignant cancer.

What follows is a nightmare scenario in which Gwen gets (to put it bluntly) royally screwed by Tarbell's psychological torture and wrongly framing her for various transgressions. These tactics escalate to the point where Tarbell's attacks get way too extreme to say the least.

While Gwen's life is being systematically destroyed, another nightmare from her past comes back to haunt her, when she learns that Desmond Parker, a man incarcerated years ago for abducting and knifing her, is up for parole.

As things look increasingly bleak for Gwen, to the point where her closest friends and allies either don't believe her or are, um, otherwise disappearing, she starts to consider some mighty extreme solutions.

While Simon Wood's writing is always thrilling, this book crackles with sheer energy. The intelligent and likable Gwen, along with her supportive family, stand in stark contrast to the pathetic and bitter Tarbell, who has a fractious relationship with his formerly abusive father (who, now in a wheelchair, must suffer his son's payback). They're a wholly believable set of characters, whose motivations (even Tarbell's) are clear and understandable.

The story's pace starts off fast and builds to breakneck speed, as it approaches the climax. At the same time, Wood has a gift for rendering each detail in a scene so you not only feel you're experiencing the actual event, but can feel the suspense rise to a nearly unbearable level.

As Gwen's fortunes run "one step forward, two steps back," you can't help but ache for her desperate situation.

Wood also gets extra points for creating a victimized female protagonist without a victim mentality. Gwen is not only strong and smart, but likable. A protagonist who you'll cheer for right up to the book's breathtaking finish.