The Girl in the Blue Blazer by Alretha Thomas – a Review
Description:
Two women. One powerful man. A decades-old secret binds them together.
In 2019, Pamela Carter is determined to secure her dream internship with billionaire businessman Andrew Clifford III.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1993, Andrew is just starting out. Without any of his later fame or fortune, the party boy becomes a legitimate hero when he intervenes to save assaulted Elizabeth Westlake. Sure, she’s a waitress at a strip club, but that’s not her dream. Elizabeth is determined to write her way out of the Harlem hellhole she lives in. Maybe Andrew is the ticket? Even the best-laid plans go awry, and for Elizabeth, tragedy looms.
Pamela is impossible not to notice and she soon becomes Andrew’s prime intern. But, just as with Elizabeth, not all goes to plan. The stocks are plummeting. The company is careening. And then, Andrew himself goes missing. Will Pamela also be plunged into the tragedy that surrounds this man? Or is Pamela the one person who really knows what happened that fateful night in 1993? More than a company is at stake, as Andrew struggles for survival. But sometimes, the past is too powerful. Some secrets refuse to remain buried. Sometimes, truth kills.
Review:
The Girl in the Blue Blazer begins with Pamela Carter anxiously waiting to mee with Andrew Clifford III, having made the cut to the final two from a grueling process for his prestigious internship program. This is her third time, and her last. That is the maximum number of times that you can apply and she is determined to make it. When she is called into Andrew’s office, they have a frank, albeit strange at times, conversation. When Pamela leaves, she feels good about her chances, only to have them dashed a few days later when she is told they chose the other candidate. Imagine her surprise when she receives another phone call a few days after that informing her that they were choosing her. She has waited soooooo long for this opportunity and she will not waste one moment to do what she needs to do.
Elizabeth Westlake is trying to make it on her own, having run away from home to escape her mother’s abusive, ever changing, boyfriends. Her story begins in 1993 when she is seventeen (she lied about her age) and working as a waitress at a strip club. When Elizabeth is groped by a customer, Andrew steps in and saves her. He then requests she have a drink with him in the VIP room. Little does she know how much that encounter will alter the direction of her life……….and so many others.
The Girl in the Blue Blazer is written with dual timelines and draws you in from the very beginning that have you turning the pages faster and faster as you navigate all of the twists and turns. One moment, you’re convinced of one thing, the next, not so much. What you ARE convinced of is that Mrs. Thomas has once again written an amazing story and built a world that draws you in and doesn’t let go until the very end. One thing that hit me while reading this is that it is so refreshing to read a story that has “real” dialogue between the characters. Due to the subject matter of this book, that frank and real dialogue will endear the characters to the reader even more. If you’re a fan of suspenseful storylines with awesome and strong women, you will not go wrong with this book. So happy that she is back to writing with her busy schedule. Well done, Alretha Thomas!! Very, very well done!
Reviewed by Vickie
Copy supplied for review
