Jamie’s husband Mike – a police officer – survived a fatal shooting which claimed a rookie cop and seriously injured his long-time partner. He returns to duty but is constantly on edge. Then Mike is involved in another shooting but this time he pulled the trigger. And the victim was a teen boy. The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters - Jamie as she struggles to cope as the media descend and her relationship falters; her sister Lou, an elephant handler who helps out with the kids; and Christie, Mike’s ex who has just started working for a private investigator. I enjoyed the ripped-from-the-headlines aspect of this story, seeing the issue of police shootings from the angle of police family members. A solid read.
A marriage on the brink after a tragic shooting in Sarah Pekkanen's latest novel, Things You Won't Say. The summary says: "How far would you go to save your family? Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There's been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn't hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband's insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realises he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting - but this time Mike has pulled the trigger. But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie's world. It's about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike's flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie's younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes." Things You Won't Say is out in May 2015.