The Blame Game: A Novel

This story which focuses on a psychologist named Naomi had me confused, then angry, then confused and finally I reached that ah-ha moment at the epilogue. The epilogue made me happy that I had read the book, but it did take a while to get there. I thought that the book was brilliantly written with a plot that dragged at times but with such a lot of twists that it did keep me engaged. Naomi works with domestic abuse victims and is not having such an easy time with it since she personally invests herself in their lives and becomes more involved with her patients than she should. When Jacob comes to her and tells her his gut-wrenching story about his wife’s abuse, she can do nothing less than offer him a place to stay to escape Vanessa. This is where the plot got really strange because Jacob disappears and Naomi is accused of having something to do with his disappearance. With Naomi none too psychologically stable herself, the narration was unreliable and there were times when I did not know what to believe about what was happening. Leo. Naomi’s husband, resents her personal involvement with her patients and distances himself from her. There are new characters introduced, like Naomi’s sister whom she left behind in NYC after the death of their mother. The guilt of leaving Jennifer behind is a plot twist that plays into Naomi’s mental condition and thus adds more layers to the story. Without presenting any spoilers, I cannot go into more details about the plot and what happens to Naomi, but I will say that I did not particularly like any of the characters, except perhaps Detective Robson who was clever and intuitive, like a Sherlock Holmes who was following the clues to the inevitable end. Naomi was a hot mess, her husband Leo was a secondary character who was weak and disloyal and the other characters were not who they seemed to be. This book made me question what was really going on and if there was anyone in the book who was trustworthy. Good read and a definite domestic thriller with a lot of psychology thrown in just to keep it interesting! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

In The Blame Game, protagonist Naomi is a psychologist specializing in counseling victims of domestic abuse. She chose this line of work due to things in her own dark, tragic past. While she enjoys her work, in her eagerness to offer help and comfort, she often finds it difficult to maintain the ethical line between doctor and patient. When her patient Jacob shares with Naomi that he wants to leave his abusive wife, Naomi strays into the gray area and then crosses the line by offering Jacob a safe place to stay at a place owned by she and her husband. Soon, another client tells Naomi of her fear of her abusive husband, and Naomi also intervenes by giving her a place to stay. Naomi's husband cautions her, but she ignores him. However, when files go missing, and doors she knows she locked are found unlocked, Naomi has to wonder if she's gone too far or if her past has finally caught up with her. When the police come knocking at her door asking a lot of uncomfortable questions about the whereabouts of a missing Jacob, Naomi fears her secrets are about to be exposed. Has she gone too far? As a reader, I found it interesting that Naomi crosses all ethical lines with her patients and yet she appears to maintain a personal Do Not Cross line with her own husband. While we know her past was dark, I wanted more of Naomi's backstory in order to better connect and establish empathy for her especially since the past proved to be relevant to her life choices. Jones has provided readers some details, but Naomi may have come across as a more likable, sympathetic character if readers could see more interactions of her with her estranged sister and convict father and if she actually had found some kind of closure. I'm left feeling a critical piece of the puzzle plus motivation for the main character's actions are rushed. The Blame Game is exactly that as readers are charged with delving through the bits and pieces of the story and following the twists and turns until the final reveal occurs. I'll admit to seeing it coming which rendered less shock value, but I continued reading seeking answers to other questions raised. The author does a great job spotlighting the issue of domestic abuse and violence while showcasing the stereotypes often associated with abusive relationships especially a less typical female against male abuse. I applaud her for taking this approach and feel she did an expert job drawing much needed attention to the subject of domestic violence as a whole. The Blame Game is well written, tense and at times quite riveting. While I enjoyed reading it, The Other Woman remains my favorite work from the talented Sandie Jones. I look forward to seeing what this author releases next. Highly recommended to fans of mystery and suspense. Thanks to the publisher for an arc.