Search - Charley's Web

My first time reading this author wont be the last. Really enjoyed this suspenseful novel.
It kept me wanting to read to find out what was going to happen next.Never would have guessed the outcome. I really liked the way she wrote the book it had you guessing all the time.I really felt myself cheering for the characters and other times yelling at them thats how engrossing the story is it pulls you in and you feel like your part of the story.

Charley Webb is the product of a dysfunctional family who has somewhat made it on her own by authoring a newspaper column column, though she is still in the shadow of her more accomplished siblings. She has not had as much success in love, though her relationships did give her two children she adores from two different men with whom she is still friendly. Her writing attracts the attention of Jill Rohmer, a woman on death row for killing 3 children she was a caretaker for. Jill offers Charley the opportunity to interview her exclusively in hope of a book deal - Jill wants her side of the story to be told. Charley sees this as her opportunity to make it big, but when emails start arriving which contain threats to her children, Charley realizes that there is more to Jill's story than she has been told and she is in over her head.

This was the first book I have read by Joy Fielding. Though not exactly War and Peace, it is very good for what it is: a psychological thriller geared towards women. There are elements of romance, suspense, and family drama. The story is entertaining, the characters (especially Charley's troubled brother Bram) are interesting, and the subplots concerning Charley's efforts to repair the broken relationships between her siblings and parents keep the story moving during the sections that do not focus on Jill. I read this book in one day - Charley's Webb perfect as escapist fiction.

I started to read this book and could not get through it. I could not relate to the characters and the plot was dull.

Not my favorite Joy Fielding story, but was definitely time well spent. Initially, I had a difficult time liking Charley. She comes across as very unapproachable and harsh. But after spending time with her, I was able to see beneath the hard exterior that surrounds her. At first glance, you see a woman who is career driven, raising two children by two different men on her own, is estranged from her family, disliked by her neighbors and disrespected by her boss and coworkers. What ultimately emerges is a woman who is struggling to raise her children with little assistance from their respective fathers, trying to make a success of her career even though she receives substantial hate mail daily and has begun receiving personal threats to her life and the lives of her children, reconnecting with the mother who left the family when Charley was eight, trying to build better relationships with her sisters and brother, and reaching out to her father who views her contact with her mother as a betrayal and wants nothing to do with her.

In the midst of all this chaos, Charley receives a letter from death row inmate, Jill Rohmer, begging to meet her and offering her the opportunity to write a tell all novel that will reveal never before known facts about the brutal murders she was convicted of. Jill swears her boyfriend “Jack” participated and if Charley agrees to write her biography, she will reveal Jack’s true identity.

It doesn’t take long for Jill’s true nature to reveal itself and I found her to be quite a despicable character and thought it disturbing to watch Charley being reeled in like a fish on a hook. There are plenty of characters that top the list of who Jack is. Jill’s brother, Ethan, who molested Jill when she was a child and seems to fit the bill perfectly. Then there’s Charley’s own brother, Bram, who struggles with an alcohol and drug addiction and who, it turns out, knows Jill and has dated her sister, Pammy. Then there’s Alex Prescott, Jill’s lawyer, a man who Charley is attracted to and who, as Jill’s lawyer, knows Jill better than anyone.

Everything comes to an explosive head when Charley discovers the truth about Jack’s identity and is in a race against the clock to stop the cold blooded killer from butchering two more children…Charley’s children.

I discovered Joy Fielding’s books when someone recommended THE FIRST TIME. I absolutely loved that book and realized what a treasure this author is. Her books speak to me on a personal level packed with characters you can care about and really relate to. Most of her books are much darker than THE FIRST TIME, but I was hooked and have acquired and read most of her backlist. With CHARLEY’S WEB, Ms. Fielding delivers the intriguing and interesting characters I have come to expect with her stories and a plot that keeps me guessing.

A page turning novel, great characters and mystery. She keeps you interested from the first page right through to the end. A good read!