Sometimes Quickly by Anne Laughlin

Publisher:                P.D. Publishing


Sometimes Quickly is the story of five women, four of them searching for greater meaning in their lives and one who is intent on disrupting them. Peg Ryan is a recovering alcoholic and a prominent attorney, who made a mistake many years ago, but now her life has stabilized and she's ready to share it with someone. She meets Allison Mitchell, the head of a real estate firm, by accident – literally. Peg runs into the rear end of a car being driven by Camille Bardon and Allison is the passenger. The attraction between Peg and Allison is instantaneous, a fact which doesn't please Camille at all.
Meanwhile, Peg's best friend Morgan, a police detective, meets Laura, the head of a company that is developing innovative software that will allow the FDA to approve drugs more quickly. Morgan is trying to establish a relationship with Laura who can only focus on the problems her company is having. 

Camille is the bane of all of them. She stalks Allison, launches a blackmail scheme against Peg and her company, which specializes in industrial espionage, and is slowly destroying Laura's chances of receiving approval of its program by the FDA. The mystery is whether the other women will realize who is at the root of all of their problems before she has a chance to destroy them.

Sometimes Quickly is an appropriate name for this book because everything happens at a rapid pace, perhaps a little too rapid. The story moves from peak to peak with very little action in between that would allow the reader to digest what is happening. The result of this is a book that holds the reader's attention, but has a rushed feel to it. The incidents could have been fleshed out more, which would have made the book longer and kept it from feeling like things were developing too fast. 

However, at its heart, Sometimes Quickly has a good story with strong personalities. Allison comes off as the surprising character when she shows a strength that isn't anticipated and Morgan is inspiring in her determination to find out what is going on at Laura's company. Even the evil Camille comes across very clearly, although the reader will easily conclude that she has some serious mental health issues.

Laughlin has mastered the skill of character development. Now she needs to work on developing her plot more fully. The end of this book indicates that there will be another one, so she should get a chance to correct the weaknesses.

Sometimes Quickly is an excellent fast read.