Book Review ~ Save Me

"Save Me" by Lisa Scottoline


Rose McKenna is on her first shift as a volunteer lunchroom mom at her daughter Melly's new elementary school.  After having just moved here because of bullying in Melly's other school, Rose is dismayed to see her daughter running to a washroom to avoid the teasing of another child.  Making her way over she determines to talk to the girls about bullying but in the middle of their conversation an explosion occurs in the kitchen.  When Rose comes to, chaos abounds as fire is tearing through the building.  Now she must make a split second emergency decision.  Take the girls she was talking to to safety or go look for her daughter who is hiding.  An impossible choice in the middle of a nightmare.  Making the decision, she acts upon it but it very quickly comes back to haunt her and her family as accusations and mob mentality take over the community.  Acting against the advice of her husband, a lawyer, and her attorneys, Rose takes matters into her own hands putting herself in danger as she starts to uncover what really happened with the explosion.

An emotional, page turning story, I could not put this book down!  My heart broke for Melly and the teasing she had to endure, and Rose's dilemma of when to step in, and then the consequences of her decision to confront the bullies, and her decisions in the midst of the emergency.  I had to cheer her on in her one track mindedness to get to the bottom of things and her determination to stick to what she believed was the right thing to do even though others with more experience were advising her differently.  There is twists and turns in the story as she pursues her decisions that the reader doesn't see coming which kept it edge of your seat.  The chapters are short and quick paced throughout the book and it makes you not want to put it down so you can see what happens next.  This story really makes you explore as a Mom, "What would I do if that happened to me?", "How would I react if I was the other parents, or school staff, or a member of this community".  It also made me think about the role media plays in our lives and our "right to know at all cost" mentalities.   Faith, if you're reading this, I think you'd like this one!