Title: The Cage by Bonnie Kistler
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Contemporary, Legal Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Combining the propulsive narrative drive of The Firm with the psychological complexity of The Silent Patient,a gripping and original thriller about two professional women—colleagues at an international fashion conglomerate—who enter an elevator together . . . but only one is alive when they reach the ground floor.
On a cold, misty Sunday night, two women are alone in the offices of fashion conglomerate Claudine de Martineau International. One is the company’s human resources director. Impeccably dressed and perfectly coiffed, she sits at her desk and stares somberly out the window. Down the hall, her colleague, one of the company’s lawyers, is buried under a pile of paperwork, frantically rushing to finish.
Leaving at the same time, the two women, each preoccupied by her own thoughts, enter the elevator that will take them down from the 30th floor.
When they arrive at the lobby, one of the women is dead. Was it murder or suicide?
An incredibly original novel that turns the office thriller on its head, The Cage is a wild ride that begins with a bang and picks up speed as it races to its dramatic end.
Review:
The Cage by Bonnie Kistler is an absolutely brilliant “locked room” mystery.
Lucy Barton-Jones is the human resources director at Claudine de Martineau International. She is married with two children and she is very loyal to the company. Lucy’s family has a bit of a past that she has worked hard to distance herself from. Working from the office on a Sunday evening, she and employee, Shay Lambert, are on the same elevator as they depart from work.
Shay is a lawyer whose excitement over her new job has waned a bit with her first assignment. She and her husband, David, were hit hard during the downturn in the economy and she welcomes this opportunity to get back on her feet. Shay has noticed a few anomalies on the case she has been to but she brushes it off to just a mistake. She has not had very many interactions with Lucy when they are both trapped on the elevator that fateful Sunday.
When the elevator finally makes it to the lkobby, one of the two women is dead. The survivor claims it was suicide, but will the police believe her? When the evidence begins pointing to murder, can she find the evidence to prove her innocence? Following the leads where they lead, the truth is within her grasp if only she can find someone to believe her.
The Cage is a clever legal mystery that is fast-paced and engaging. The characters are interesting but not all of them are easy to like. The storyline is engrossing and well-developed with interesting twists and turns. With danger moving ever closer, Bonnie Kistler brings this captivating mystery to a stunning conclusion.
