Dania Deschamps’ first novel, set in the sultry area of Key West, gives the reader an authentic look at the sights, sounds, and lifestyle of the area, its native people, and the Catholicism that rules their hearts. Additionally, the author, using her background as a litigation attorney, provides her readers with a solid who-dun-it suspense novel that is about much more than evil and mental illness. It is a story about a family’s love and loyalty, the devotion of mothers to their children, the rekindling of a childhood romance, and a young woman’s struggle for professional respect.

This spine-chilling story will keep you hanging on to the edge of your seat as the book’s protagonist, thirty-seven-year-old Dominique Olivet, a wife and mother, is appointed by Judge Juan Sanchez Sr. to represent Ben Hargrave, who is accused of the murder of a pregnant young mother. However, as she and Florida State prosecutor, Rolf del Castillo are to discover the obvious is not as lucid as some believe and soon more blood flows leaving Dominique to fear something evil has taken control of Key West.

This terrific legal serial killer thriller provides varying perspectives, the most enlightening being from the mind of the killer who goes about his grim tasks in a macabre fashion. Using her insight into the minds of the truly evil Deschamps causes the readers to ponder the ultimate question of whether an obviously insane person can be evil as free will and knowing right from wrong are missing from their mental and emotional makeup.

On a slightly negative note, however, the author graphically portrays several murders and grisly sexual perversions that make this a read that would not be appropriate for youngsters or the faint of heart. Additionally, I found it distracting that the book contained numerous typos, awkward sentences, dangling participles, author discrepancies, and other errors that take the reader’s attention away from the story.

Other than those cautions, however, I found Deschamps’ affinity for Key West, her obvious legal background, and her prose to demonstrate that she can develop into a writer to be reckoned with. Overall, Thirst is a gripping, graphic thriller of evil incarnate that the author moves along through a series plot twists, both expected and unexpected, that forces you to keep turning pages.

[tags]Thirst, Dania Deschamps, Sexual, book review, fiction, serial killer, graphic, thriller, criminal justice system, evil, supernatural, Key West, Florida[/tags]