Overkill, Sandra Brown, Jonathan Ball Publishers, ISBN: 9781529341768

IT  has been four years since former Super Bowl quarterback Zach Bridger received the call that had turned his life upside down. While his ex-wife, Rebecca Pratt, remains on life support after a night of revelry gone wrong, the man responsible, Eban – a wealthy, overindulged individual – has been granted early release from prison.

Enter Kate Lennon, a young, brilliant and ambitious prosecutor, who shows up at Zach’s isolated cabin, only to throw his life back into turmoil with an impossible request.

She asks Zack, who, in a cruel twist of fate still holds Rebecca’s medical power of attorney, despite their divorce, to: either let Eban evade justice, potentially allowing him to harm another victim, or end Rebecca’s life so that he could be retried under a new charge – murder.

The weight of the decision is compounded by Zach’s unethical growing attraction to Kate and the looming media attention. Meanwhile, Eban becomes aware of their plans, posing a danger to everyone involved.

While the book’s premise is intriguing, the execution falls short. The intense emotional and ethical dilemma quickly takes a backseat to steamy, out-of-place romance scenes that feel more like filler rather than substance, especially given the seriousness of the plot. Though Zach’s internal struggle is genuinely moving, I found most of the characters one-dimensional, with little more than typical ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ roles to play. The potential for deeper ethical exploration is largely missed.

That said, the book isn’t entirely a disappointment. It’s an easy, no-fuss read with a neatly tied-up ending for those who prefer a lighter, faster-paced story, but it leaves much to be desired for readers seeking more depth. – Mariclair Smit 3/5 stars