Solitary Man

by Diana Benefiel

Brenna’s husband Kenny is killed in combat while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan but as he took his last breath his only concern was for her at home.

I wondered if what he was asking his friend Ryder to undertake was really necessary but as the book progressed it soon became apparent that Kenny had good cause to ask Ryder to watch out for Brenna.

Brenna and Ryder were friends, they shared a lot and it obvious that they really liked each other but their connection was based on something more than how they felt for each other, they had a friendship that was forged through the love and respect of the same man, Kenny.

It takes a while for Brenna to find her feet again, to emotionally move on from grieving and consider her needs as a woman but there are a series of unexplained incidents that occur as she starts to live her life again and although there always seems to be one particular person there to lend a helping hand …could it be that they are know more about what is happening and why that they are letting on. It certainly seemed that way.

I think the story was more intriguing than I had anticipated, it was paced slowly allowing time to dictate the flow of events and I found that made the situation not only more realistic but also more exciting. The characters needed patience and I think the lilt of the story encouraged me as a reader to have that patience too.

A well written story that wasn’t quite what I expected but that certainly captivated my imagination. A new author to me that I will be keeping an eye on in future.