Season of Lies by Monica Shaughnessy Book Review

Amazon Description:
Robin Calloway has always been "special"--a misfit who lives more in her own head than the real world. Some, including her father, even think she's crazy. So when her brother is found murdered, Robin's father suspects her of the crime and sends her to a mental institution for observation. With the help of Dr. G, Robin begins to untangle memories of the killing, but admits a terrible truth about herself in the process: she can both hear and speak to animals, and this cursed ability forces her to "sleepwalk"--or blank out--for most of her day.

Fearing both the local sheriff and the label of "schizophrenic," Robin escapes the hospital and flees into the Texas Hill Country. To survive hunting season in the woods, however, she must accept her unique senses and gain the help of a whitetail deer herd. But Robin soon finds herself in the path of a killer desperate to hide the truth.

My Review:
Robin can speak to animals in her head, or at least she believes she can. She is a resident in a psychiatric hospital and is accused of the murder of her brother while he was hunting. She knows she is innocent but can't prove it without escaping the hospital and using her gift of speaking with the animals to retrace her step of the night her brother was killed.

I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Although the bulk of the book is too peaceful for me to consider it a "thriller" it as definitely suspenseful. Robin is believably portrayed as an innocent soul. The way her gift is written felt so realistic I wondered (almost) if it were really possible to speak to animals like Robin.

The ending was filled with some twists which was surprising considering how straight forward most of the book seemed to be. It as a pleasant surprise to see how the characters were connected.

My biggest complaint was the slang that as used in the narrative sections. Words like "nekkid" and "woulda" really bothered me and made Robin come off as uneducated.

Overall, I rate Season of Lies by Monica Shaughnessy 4 stars and would recommend it to someone looking for a unique read.