Behind Closed Doors-Tara Taylor Quinn

Behind Closed Doors
Tara Taylor Quinn
Mira, Oct 2007, $6.99
ISBN: 9780778323952

In Tucson, Arizona an intruder with a gun invades the home of African-American history professor Harry Kendall and his white wife botanist Laura Clark. He beats up Harry before tying him up and raping Laura. Already irate, Harry becomes outraged at the police’s failure to make any progress on the case as he knows they are looking at a random act while the culprit made it clear it was racially motivated.

Fuming he decides to investigate. As he obsessively follows clues to the white supremacist serendipitously politically connected Ivory Nation, he places himself and his spouse in danger from an amoral racist (and his allies) who has no compunctions in killing him and raping a fearful Laura again at a time she is pregnant carrying who knows who’s child.

The keys to this powerful thriller are the reactions of the lead couple to the assault and rape, and the underlying concept that even BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, people are not necessarily safe from those who use force and fear especially to further a “sanctioned” cause. The action-packed story line focuses on the aftermath impact on the psyche of mostly an angry Harry, who seeks vengeance even legal reparations. However to a lesser degree fans see how Laura reacts as she is very frightened (almost agoraphobic) but tries to move on while worrying about the DNA of the fetus she carries; and somewhat on Bobby Donahue of Ivory Nation, who escaped justice IN PLAIN SIGHT as he shows a human side with his tenderness towards his infant son, who is his reason for doing what he does. This character driven thriller will hook the audience from the onset until the final new beginning.

Harriet Klausner