The Right Side by Spencer Quinn

Author : Spencer Quinn
Title : The Right Side
Published : 2017
Publisher : Atria Books
Pages : 336
Genre : Mystery / Fiction

     LeAnne Hogan went to Afghanistan as a rising star in the military and came back a much lesser person, mentally and physically. Now missing an eye and with half her face badly scarred, she can barely remember the disastrous desert operation that almost killed her. She is confused, angry, and suspects the fault is hers, even though nobody will come out and say it. Shattered by one last blow--the sudden death of her hospital roommate, Marci--LeAnne finds herself on a fateful drive across the country, reflecting on her past and seeing no future. Her native land is now unfamiliar, recast in shadow by her one good eye, her damaged psyche, her weakened body. Arriving in the rain-soaked small town in Washington State that Marci called home, she makes a troubling discovery: Marci's eight-year-old daughter has vanished. 

     It is not often I pick up books about a war veteran. It is not a topic that all top often piques my interest. But when coming to this book it takes on a different eyes view of the experience.  It is a very rare thing to find a fiction book about a woman who has gone to war. It allows for a new insight into the field of battle.  But to say this is the books only point of view you would be very mistaken. Here we get an intertwining view of one women's life, from childhood through to the present day. Within thievish pages, the author has created a character that lifts straight of the page. She is someone who has been repeatedly broken by her life. But she is also someone who has a fire the burns deep inside of her that drives her forward and nothing will get in her way. 

     Throughout this book, we get to explore many topics not only from life but also what it means to come back from war having experienced the worst it has to offer and somehow managed to still be alive. This is a book that brings up experiences that are hard to read about and can at times feel like a struggle to get through. It's a tale of dark experiences that claw at a persons soul and would lead most of us to simply give up. But throughout the author manages to bring to the table an amazing mystery that will pull in the most avid of mystery readers. With every twist and turn, I was pulled deeper into the mystery not only of LeAnne's life but also trying to help out a friend who is no longer there. It shows that family is not always the one we are born to but some times the one we choose. Through this book, we get to witness that sometimes we are willing to put everything on the line for those we choose to take into our worlds. 

     I would be amiss to not mention the bond between LeAnne and her dog. They both share a great deal in common when it comes to temperament. And both willing to defend those who they care about. Overall, I could not find fault in this book and the time I spent with it was well worth it. I think it is time to open your heart up to a woman who is trying her best to push the world out and see what she has to teach us about life and loyalty.