This post is not intended as a book review because I have not finished the book…yet.

I am wondering if a “good” book is more a reflection of the reader’s frame of mind or the well-written nature of its content?

There are some books which I’ve said that I have enjoyed fully but were a bit of a struggle to get involved in and the details faded away ever after.

There are some books from which passages revisit me when I least expect it. Images haunting me. Yet they weren’t always from my professed favorites.

Then there is Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.

I was drawn to the topic of mystery stories after reading Harlan Coben‘s The Woods for book club. I enjoyed it but realized there were more famous and more stimulating examples of mysteries still unknown to me.

In 7th grade, our English class read, And Then There Were None~ Agatha Christie‘s novel also known as, Ten Little Indians. I didn’t like it…in 7th grade, I didn’t like reading very much either, though.

As I recently strolled down the aisle at the library, hoping to find a rare gem, I happened upon a section by Patricia Highsmith. Her photo jumped out at me. She looked like a writer. Her appearance was of a woman who spent more time on her thoughts than on her outward appearance. (I don’t think she would have been flattered by that observation but I mean it in the best way.)

Ah, now that an author was chosen, which of her works might I sample?  Why not start with her debut novel? The jacket mentioned that this book was the inspiration for an Alfred Hitchcock film. Good old Al knew what a good mystery was.

I started reading the book last weekend. I really like it…really. My normal approach to reading is an “all at once” or “not at all” mind set. I don’t want to put it down and lose track of any subtle clues or characters, especially with a mystery.

This one has remained a wonderful daydream. I’ve had busy stuff interfere with my reading time, this week, but the half read story has remained with me. The characters are clear and visible beings in my head. The story begs me to continue but what I have read is all still waiting!

Now, my own mystery is in this question.

Is this the most well-written novel ever or am I exceptionally clear minded and focused this week?

Let me say this:

There aren’t too many characters…there is a wonderful (dark) story unfolding…I understand everything so far and want to know everything yet to come. I suspect it’s a great book.

Since this is not an official review…I’ll leave you with my observations, as well as, whole-heartedly recommending it for a summer read.

Maybe reviews should be written during the experience of a book not from an after taste, after all.