Fleeting Visions by Rene Natan

339 Pages
Publisher: Rene Natan, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: December 30, 2013

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Canada, Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse

The story begins with a blizzard in Ontario in 2010. Joceyln, a pharmacist heading home from a long shift stops off at a convenience store to get some headache tables and throat logenze. There is a police care sitting in the parking lot, so she parks across the street. She runs across the street and into the store to make her purchase. As she is leaving the store, the parking lot lights go out. She is hurrying to get into her car and a man approaches her and tries to give her something. She tells him to get away from her, drops the box, and jumps in her car. The man, Louis, runs away, and the police see nothing.

Louis returns to his boss and is confronted with the truth. He gave the package to the wrong person. Now they are out of money and product. They beat him badly and drop him off at the hospital. Initial observation shows the beating but also signs of abuse. Louis had been used as a sex worker to pay off his uncle’s debt. Now Joycelyn and the detective are trying to help Louis make a break from the organization in return for information.

The story had a clumsy feel to it, the characters were somewhat developed, and it was written in the third person point of view. Because the story jumped from different characters, it did not flow as well as possible. Louis’s character is written as if he is naïve, but I am not sure that is the case.

With difficult subjects as topics, the writer manages to craft a story that is an excellent read. It is suspenseful and will have you flipping pages.
Many thanks to Rene Nathan and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.