Accountability by Jessica Aiken-Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having been hooked whilst reading both ‘Boundaries’ and ‘Confidentially’ the first two books in Aiken-Hall’s new series, ‘Scope of Practice’, I was looking forward to this third instalment and ‘Accountability’ did not disappoint. The storyline continues with Valerie Williamson who works at Lawrenceville Regional Hospital as a deceased patient coordinator. This novel can be read as a standalone book, however if read in order then you will have a better understanding of Valerie’s backstory. I was pleased to be back with the main character, Valerie who is such a likeable and very realistic character and one who you can relate to, and she really brings this whole series of books to life for me. As usual for the author this novel has a fast paced storyline with plenty of suspense, mystery, action, and great characters in it, all of which had me gripped from page one.
In this story Valerie Williamson Phillips’s, as she is now married to Detective Tim is about to have her world disrupted all over again. Following an early morning phone call Valerie realises that her past has finally caught up with her. Valerie knows she must hold Dr. Chad Ross accountable for what he did to her but will the Lawrenceville’s serial killer, the Executioner strike again or will she have to take action herself. Valerie has finally reached her breaking point and is finding that with all her secrets she’s trusting less and less people. She just hopes her bonds with Tim are strong enough to withstand any changes that will occur.
I liked how we see a different side of Valerie in this novel as her strength of character and relationships with others is really tested. Although the book does deal with difficult and dark issues it is dealt with honestly and with sensitivity. The narrative also has plenty of humour along with the drama. I was gripped from start to finish with this novel and found myself completely immersed in Valerie’s story, so much so I literally could not put this book down. The author is great at building the suspense throughout the storyline and the plot is full of twists that I didn’t see coming making it an unpredictable read which you just have to keep reading until the very last page. A definite five star read which I recommend.

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