Review: Scarecrow

Dr. Jo Banks takes off leaving her Manhattan practice after she misdiagnoses a young girl and she dies. She has no destination in mind. She stops at a motel in remote New Jersey for the night. That night she is called up to treat a woman at the motel. The next morning she finds out they left the hotel in the dark of night without paying their bill.

The next morning Paul Nelson, the motel owner, offers Jo a job as a motel doctor. The motels have to have a doctor on call for emergencies, much like the previous night. She immediately turns down his offer.

After driving around, picking up a young girl who was hitchhiking – Becca, and finding herself back at the motel that evening, she finally decides to accept his offer. It takes her a little over a week to find someone to take over her office and get her ex-boyfriend to find someone to sublet her apartment.

Jo and Becca have become good friends, but her family is quite different. Jo believes their boarders are none other than the Milacs, the couple from her first night at the motel, and sets about trying to find out more about them.

She has run into Tom Canby, and keeps running into him. He even assists her in her investigation as she doesn’t know the area as well.

When Becca mysteriously leaves town with her aunt, Jo is concerned something more sinister is going on. She steps up her investigation and ends up in danger.

Jo is a terrific character. I can just see her tooling around New Jersey on her motorbike. She is great with Becca and has fit right into life in remote New Jersey, but still misses Manhattan at times. I like the relationship with Tom as well. She is constantly putting him off but isn’t quite sure why.

As Jo is finding herself and getting her self-confidence back, she is getting to know everyone and even has Thanksgiving dinner at the Nelson’s. Their son took off some time ago. The not knowing is taking its toll on them.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one! I got to meet Robin Hathaway last night. I gained additional insight into both of her series. Please read my review of her other new book “The Doctor Dines in Prague.”

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dawn Dowdle

Book Review: Scarecrow