I received The Cutting Edge (with Bonus Content!)
Description (from Amazon.com):
My name is Skye Summers. I’m a hairstylist and I can’t stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I’m being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They’re bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX.
I also want to kill my husband’s ex-girlfriend. She’s not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
Overall: 5 stars
Plot/Storyline: 5 stars
Skye Summers was happily married to Scott. She worked as a stylist at The Cutting Edge hair salon. There were two things, however, that kept her life from being perfect: 1) She hated her clients, who treated her like hired help and ran their mouths incessantly; 2) Scott had a daughter who was the product of a one-night stand eighteen years earlier, and her mother, Diane, was bleeding Scott dry for child support.
There wasn’t much that Skye could do about the latter problem, but she got through the long, miserable days at the salon by imagining how she would kill her more obnoxious clients. After reading a few chapters, I thought the book was going to be a modernized version of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” as Skye went berserk and started hacking up her clients with her razor-sharp scissors. Fortunately for the salon’s customers, just thinking about murder was cathartic enough for Skye to restrain herself.
Just as serious a problem was Scott’s daughter and her bloodsucking mother, who were draining Scott dry, or at least his bank account. Scott and Skye were resigned to paying Elyse’s way through college, but Elyse had other, even more expensive, ideas.
While all of this was going on, there was a serial killer named the Mass Avenger who was torturing and murdering women in the area. Seemingly unrelated to the main story except as fodder for salon gossip, the murders would soon take center stage and involve Skye in a terrifying way that she could never have anticipated.
Character Development: 5 stars
Scott and Skye were a hardworking couple who were madly in love with each other. They were sympathetic, likable people. Just the opposite were Scott’s daughter Elyse and her mother Diane. They were both scheming, thoroughly nasty women who were determined to make Scott’s life miserable. Skye’s mom and dad were quirky but warmhearted, likable characters.
But in the background lurked a truly evil psychopath who was bent on torturing and killing as many women as he could. In his own twisted mind, he was actually doing a great service to the world.
Writing style: 5 stars
Although the story included serious plot elements, a lot of the scenes were of Scott and Skye chilling out at home with their beloved dogs or with Skye’s ex-hippie parents; or at the salon, where Skye put up with the endless stream of babble and gossip from her clients. These scenes were well written and often funny, although “painfully funny” was an expression that sometimes came to mind. At one point, her nerves so frazzled that she really might kill a few clients, Skye figured that if she did, she would go to prison and be assigned to work in the prison hair salon. It was a definite lose-lose situation!
In a heartbeat, however, the story suddenly became one of terror and excruciating suspense. The author very capably handled the transition from lighthearted to deadly serious without a hitch. As the suspense built to a gut-wrenching climax, I found myself holding my breath a lot, it was that tense.
The Cutting Edge is a novel with 3,028 Kindle locations. Lending and text-to-speech are enabled.
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From the author, Darcia Helle:
Where did the idea for The Cutting Edge come from?
I was a hairstylist in a small town salon for about 15 years. A lot of crazy things happened there. The women I worked with and I were often equal parts psychologist and stylist. Working so closely with people – and their egos – could be difficult. And the small town atmosphere gave our clients the impression that they were allowed to pick apart our personal lives. I used to say that the craziness of our salon would make a great background for a novel. One day, Skye’s character popped into my head and that salon was the perfect place for her.
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I honestly don’t know. I’ve always loved to write. For me, writing isn’t actually a choice. I have all these characters floating around my head that demand their story be written. If I didn’t write, I’ll probably be locked up in a padded cell!
How long have you been writing?
I’ve never not been a “writer”. When I was very young, I wrote little stories to amuse myself. In my teen years, I moved on to poetry.
Later, I wrote stories for my two boys, starring each of them as the hero. I volunteered for several health-related websites, for which I wrote dozens of articles. One day I realized that I had this character in my head that would not go away. I sat down and began putting it all on paper. That turned into my first novel and I haven’t stopped since.
What gives you the innovation to write a particular genre?
Suspense has always been my favorite fiction genre to read. When I first began writing novel-length fiction, I honestly didn?t consider what genre I wanted to write. It just sort of happened one day. I don’t so much plan to write any particular genre. I listen to the characters that invade my mind and let them tell their story.
All of my novels fall under the umbrella of Suspense. The Cutting Edge, which is my newest release, is a bit of a departure in that it leans heavily into dark comedy. Also, it’s my only book (so far) written in first person.
Which comes first for you – characters or plot?
Definitely characters. I’m very character-driven in my writing. I like to explore the why of human behavior. If the characters in a story feel wooden, the plot, to me, is meaningless.
Biography:
Darcia Helle is a native of Massachusetts but now writes in the sunshine of Florida. She is married, with two grown sons and a house full of spoiled animals. When she isn’t writing, Darcia will likely have a book in her hands or be plugged in to her iPod.
Living with chronic, late-stage Lyme disease can be a challenge but Darcia finds the perfect escape in the world of words.
The Cutting Edge (with Bonus Content!)
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Jim, thank you so much for the awesome review! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the book!