Victoria Helen Stone’s biting thriller JANE DOE centers around a woman whose sole motivation is revenge. Protagonist Jane has crafted an identity for herself with a single end result in mind: she is going to become the perfect woman for a particular man, and then she is going to destroy him - just as he destroyed someone whom Jane holds dear. There are no false pretenses or veiled motivations here; Jane has revenge on the brain, and she won’t stop until she gets what she wants. In many ways, JANE DOE achieves what it sets out to accomplish: this book is undeniably addictive and fresh, and more than holds its own against the (arguably a bit tired) trend of the “unreliable narrator.” Jane is exactly what she says she is—no more, no less. Unfortunately, JANE DOE also suffers a bit from a tendency towards the overly-dramatic; readers who prefer subtlety in their crime writing will find JANE DOE too repetitive and loud for their tastes. Every element of JANE DOE is captured in stark relief, from Jane’s caustic personality to her vengeful mission and the corruption of the story’s secondary characters. Whether or not the melodrama of the story’s plot works for you will be another question altogether—and one which will determine how suitable of a selection JANE DOE will be for you.