Lori Rader-Day’s debut novel THE BLACK HOUR is the powerful story of a sociology professor, Amelia Emmet, whose topic is violence. When Amelia is shot by a student she doesn’t know and has never met, her confidence is shattered and self-doubts set in. After ten months of recovery and rehabilitation, Amelia wants nothing more than to reclaim her life, return to teaching, and once again feel “normal”. It doesn’t take long for Amelia to realize her life may never be the normal it once was.
Amelia decides she must know why the student who shot her, Leonard Lehane, tried to kill her before committing suicide. To learn more about Lehane she asks for help from her new graduate assistant, Nathan Barber. Nathan, who is fascinated by the shooting of Dr. Emmet, agrees to help. He begins by getting close to Lehane’s roommate and the students who knew him.
Meanwhile, Amelia does some sleuthing on her own. When the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place, Amelia realizes the danger she’s placed Nathan in. Every day, every task, is an upward battle as Amelia pushes her broken body to its limit. With her new limitations, Amelia soon realizes she may not get to Nathan in time to save him.
During his investigation, Nathan is uncovering facts that lead him to believe Amelia may be in grave danger. Will he discover the truth in time to save her?
This riveting story contains smoothly written prose and a main character who must overcome the biggest obstacle of her life. It maintains a high level of suspense to the end. This is not a typical whodunit mystery—we know who did what—but the powerful burning question is why.
FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.
