The Sacrificial Man: A Psychological Thriller Novel - Crime Mystery Suspense Book for Adults | Perfect for Late-Night Reading & Book Club Discussions

I would suggest that any reader new to Ruth Dugdal looking at this book should read "The Woman Before Me" first as it gives you a good background into Cate (the probation officer) and explains some references in this book that otherwise would have you scratching your head.This book asks the ultimate question...should you be allowed to help someone die? What drives a person to want to kill themself? What drives a person to want to help that person die?Both characters have their own secret reasons for this desire and they hide it from each other (and the reader) very well until all is revealed at the end. The surface reasons are matyrdom - to sacrifice ones self like Jesus and also to die in the prime of your life, before love and age deteriorate a beautiful moment - all very poetic and romantic, but the truth festers under the surface and threatens to unmask them both.Ruth once again looks at the importance of our family structures and how our parents ultimately shape and map our futures and breed our insecurities and self worth. How much of our personality is nature versus nurture? Can we ever escape the child within us?Ruth is a light and compelling read, not heavy or overly gruesome and no explicit scenes or profanity. She takes a unique look underneath the stories that you might see in the papers or on the news and lets us behind the scenes to really know the characters and what makes them tick.Ruth tends to write about characters that are not easily likeable, however you feel comfortable with them and understand them and their actions through the delicate weaving of her storytelling.If I had any criticism it would be that I would like her books to be a bit longer and to flesh out the characters a little more. Not that the story needed it, but for gluttony alone, I would have liked to spend a bit longer with them.