Review of Deceptive Calm

[Jen Poulin]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The opening chapter of Patricia Skipper's Deceptive Calm immediately captures the readers' attention by depicting Vanessa and Trisha in an intense scenario against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, with the early part of the book focusing on their close friendship. Vanessa is being raised at Saint Paul's Orphanage by her unforgettable foster mother, Sister Rosalie, who has an unwavering devotion to those in her care and a profound grasp of Southern history. Vanessa has the preconceived notion that her racial origin was why she remained at the orphanage. Alongside her faithful friend Trisha, Vanessa devises an ingenious plan to hide her true ancestry to create additional opportunities for herself.

Vanessa and Trisha go their separate ways for a while, with Vanessa venturing to San Francisco and Trisha staying in South Carolina. A successful career as a news anchor at KPIX-TV leads Vanessa to fame and love with a member of the wealthy Von Westerkamp family. However, challenges face her rise to the top as she must encounter a variety of issues, including sexism, abuse, racism, and ultimately a threat to her buried secret being revealed. Will Vanessa succeed in maintaining the identity she has created for herself, or will the truth about her past emerge? As the story escalates during Vanessa's time in California, the reader will be immersed in a rapid succession of events to uncover that answer.

This book includes multiple genres. It is best characterized as a love story that develops into an action thriller, enriched with historical references. Because of the various genres represented, it was difficult to determine what type of story was being presented. Also, Vanessa's character is better developed than Trisha's, despite Trisha being featured in multiple chapters. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Overall, Deceptive Calm is a story about self-acceptance and explores how an individual's "deceptive" past can resurface to disrupt one's "calm" present. The book is generally well edited, with only some minor grammatical edits needed throughout and perhaps some changes to the text to provide more clarity and more consistency at points. Due to its explicit sexual content and use of profanity, this book is intended for mature readers.

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Deceptive Calm
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