Anonymous
Posted February 3, 2012
The Suicide Effect is the first book by L.J. Sellers that I have read and it came to me as a complimentary copy. The author, L.J. Sellers, presents a case for stricter guidelines for drug testing and record keeping in this thriller. Sula is the PR person at a pharmaceutical company where she is attempting to put some order back in her life after making mistakes that put her little boy in a foster home. The suspense begins in the first 5 pages when she suspects the director of the company of covering up a serious side effect of a new antidepressant drug. Antidepressants are one of the fastest growing markets in the world. This drug company knows that most of us want a quick fix and pay little attention to reported side effects. From the onset Sula only desires order in her life so that she can get her little boy back. Instead she becomes a fugitive, moving her life into more chaos as she decides to expose the fatal side effect of this drug. The book moves the reader forward with short chapters and interesting characters. The Suicide Effect will have you on the edge of your seat and making quick trips to the bathroom as you turn the pages, getting deeper into Sula's hopeless situation. This book is a wakeup call for those of us looking for a quick fix. If you love suspense thrillers or know someone who is on antidepressants this book is a must read for you.
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Posted April 30, 2011
Mea culpa, THE SUICIDE EFFECT is only the second L. J. Sellers novel I have read. I've discovered that L. J. Sellers is a nearly perfect author for me.
In THE SUICIDE EFFECT the protagonist is someone I really like (this seems to be important to me). L. J. has made all her characters come alive; they do stupid stuff because of who they are, and L. J. has made me care about them.
THE SUICIDE EFFECT contains a truly fascinating Mind of the Killer (or Mind of the Bad Guy, I should say). Generally, I'm not bothered by Mind of the Killer the way some are, though I agree it's often implausibly done. The Bad Guy in THE SUICIDE EFFECT is substantive and fascinating. I don't suppose I ever came to admire him, but sometimes I thought I understood him, and I pitied him.
New threads (subplot lines) begin in provocative ways. As the threads develop some were quite obvious in a not unpleasant noticing way-one watched the train wreck as it happened.
For me, one appealing feature of the story was the focus on suicide, a subject which interests me deeply, at least in part because the modern reaction to mention of the word suicide produces the automatic response: "Should I call 911?" Suicide is a taboo subject, but in THE SUICIDE EFFECT, we get a well-rounded, multiple aspect view.
Many characters think about suicide. Some are contemplating it. Some despise people who do it. Some had friends or relatives who committed suicide which has a varied but continuous effect on the living. Giving the subject an airing was appreciated.
Another very appealing feature of THE SUICIDE EFFECT was the sense that we were immersed in high stakes investigative journalism. We were learning things that were important for us, for the world, to know.
Putting the book down and going to bed at a reasonable hour was not possible.
THE SUICIDE EFFECT. Highly satisfying.
Overview