Inside Out: A Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant storytelling
Review: She is justifiably proud that though she is female and only thirty-five years old, she is the superintendent of Horizon House, a halfway house for ex-cons about to be released into society. At present, the only irritant in Nat's life is Suzanne, a Horizon House inmate and the mother of her lover's five-year-old son, Jakey. Detective Leo Coscarelli has custody of Jakey but he wants Suzanne in their son's life.

A new resident at the halfway house is very worrisome for the stuff because transsexual Lynn Ingram spent most of her four year sentence for second degree manslaughter in isolation for her own protection. Only a few days after coming to Horizon House, she is brutally attacked and left on the street to die. She lapses into a coma with the only person who has a clue to the perpetrator is Suzanne and she isn't talking even when she is attacked and almost killed.

This is a very gritty, take no prisoners (no pun intended) thriller that gives readers a glimpse into the lives of people who live in the shadow of society. INSIDE OUT is not a pretty book but it isn't meant to be. It is a glimpse into a portion of humanity that most people would like to ignore but are unable to do so, sort of like having a rehab next door. People like the protagonist who believes in rehabilitation and serves as a role model that leaves the audience with hope for the future of humanity.

Harriet Klausner