Book Talk: Sandra Brown, ‘Mean Streak’

In “Mean Streak,” (2014, 471 pages in paperback format), Sandra Brown introduces readers to Dr. Emory Charbonneau, a successful pediatrician who founded a clinic with two colleagues, both OB-GYNs, and one of them, Alice Butler, is her best friend. Emory is also a philanthropist and long-distance runner who has organized a marathon for charity. She’s mapped out a trail in a mountainous section of North Carolina for her training and, being a conscientious woman, has shared the map with both her husband, Jeff Surrey, and her friend Alice. In case of emergency at home or at the clinic, they’ll know how to get hold of her.

During her training run, she reaches her turn-around point, and the next thing she knows is that she’s waking up in a cabin that is occupied by the most enigmatic man imaginable. He tells her that she’s had an accident, but nothing specific, including his name or where they are. Feeling dizzy, she touches a lump on the back of her head and concludes that she must have fallen and suffered a concussion.

When she asks the mysterious stranger if he would drive her to a hospital, he tells her that the roads are covered in ice and too dangerous to travel. After Emory begins to understand that she’s being held captive, she makes several attempts to escape, but the powerful man seems to be prepared for every contingency.